Marshaghai: Public dissatisfaction is rising over the Jammu-Marshaghai Canal embankment project. This flood-prevention canal embankment widening work is ongoing at a cost of approximately ₹104 crore, overseen by the Department of Works.
Currently, the contractor is widening the embankment by cutting approximately 4 feet deep into the protective embankment from Marshaghai to the canal bridge and using that soil to expand the road. With the monsoon already underway, this has created fear among the local population.
Locals living along the canal are alarmed, as the contractor has stopped work after cutting into the embankment, leaving it exposed. During the rainy season, the Luna River, a tributary of the Mahanadi, often floods, and this embankment provides protection to the nearby areas. Usually, the floodwater level of the Luna River rises up to 3 feet on the western side, near the Luna Bridge, due to the presence of five small bridges.
Because of this water level behavior, the embankment from Marshaghai to the canal bridge requires a higher elevation. However, instead of raising it, the contractor has removed soil from the embankment to widen the road, leaving it weakened and vulnerable.
Locals now fear that if the Luna River’s water level rises in the coming days, floodwaters could breach into the canal-side villages. They are demanding immediate reinforcement of the embankment from Marshaghai to the canal bridge using packed soil to prevent possible flooding.
Responding to the situation, Umesh Chandra Sethi, Chief Engineer of the Kendrapara Water Resources Department, has reportedly written a letter to the Works Department, emphasizing the need to complete the embankment protection work urgently, assuring that the matter will be addressed quickly.