Paradip: A fisherman went missing after a boat carrying five fishermen capsized at Mahanadi river mouth in Bay of Bengal near the local jetty Wednesday.
The missing fisherman Mala Jaga is a resident of Sandhakuda slum in the port town. Fishermen in other boats rushed to the spot and rescued four of them but failed to trace Jaga till reports last came in.
The rescued fishermen Marata Ramu, Kirti Gobi, Masam AS and Telu Oraju are also residents of Sandhakuda slum.
They were returning home after fishing when their boat fell into a whirlpool and capsized in the sea due to strong current.
They were struggling to get back to shore when fishermen in other boats noticed them and rescued four of them. Last week, a boat had similarly fell into whirlpool and was broken after hitting a rock on the shore.
Sources said the Mahanadi river mouth was dug out for the last time in 1998 and was made 13 metre deep.
Since then, the river mouth has not been dug out for which the region is always remaining turbulent resulting in creation of large whirlpools. Boats and trawlers moving in the region fall into these whirlpools many a times.
Fishermen had been demanding excavation of the river mouth, but to no avail. The state government took over the fishing jetty in 2011 but nothing has changed since then.
As a result, several mishaps are taking place in the river mouth. Last year, six persons went missing in nine mishaps. There are even instances when tourists had gone missing while bathing near the river mouth.
However, the fishery department is yet to take step to excavate the river mouth to save lives and properties. The river mouth getting buried is also hampering the discharge of floodwaters into the sea. PNN
