200-Metre Concrete Packing On River Bank Collapses In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: The concrete packing on the banks of Nuanai river in Odisha’s Puri district collapsed triggering fear of flood in nearby areas on Sunday.

Nuanai, a branch of Bhargavi river, was in a spate for some days due to heavy rainfall. After the rain stopped, its water level came down as the floodwater receded. But its left bank at Jamarsuan village collapsed for 200 metre collapsed into the river on Saturday night.

The collapse of the concrete packing for a long stretch has weakened the bank and raised the fear of breach soon. The Water Resources department had repaired the patch with concrete packing before the onset of monsoon.

The villagers said the particular stretch of Nuanai gets washed away during rain almost every year and the department carries out temporary repair work. Unless a permanent solution is found to the problem, the river bank could breach anytime, they added.

Demanding permanent solution to the weak point on the river bank after a study by technical team, they said in case of breach, hundreds of villages under 10 panchayats of Satyabadi and Puri Sadar blocks would submerge under floodwater.