Admin constructs cross bund over Kuakhai to battle water crisis

Bhubaneswar: Chhattisgarh’s unilateral construction of barrages on upstream Mahanadi and apprehensions of worsening water crisis has geared up the administration to stock and conserve water of its tributary Kuakhai by building a cross bund.

With the onset of pre-summer season water shortage can be felt in Mahanadi so the condition is worse in its tributary Kuakhai. On the backdrop of the precarious situation the administration is channelizing the water from Puri canal which comes out from Mundali barrage into Kuakhai.

“Since the water flow decreases in summer we have crafted a cross bund on Puri canal across the stream on its escape point at Kanpur. Not just here even on Daya River at Khurda we have created a similar cross bund,” Chittaranjan Jena, Superintendent Engineer of Public Health Department said media persons.

“A bund of 300 m length and 10 feet height has been prepared by stacking sandbags to stock the inflow water. A fund of about Rs 4 lakh is being spent in the project,” he added.

As per sources similar barrages are being planned to be built on other major rivers of the state to supply water crisis areas during dry season.

The capital gets most of its water from three tributaries of the Mahanadi Kuakhai, Daya River and water from Mundali barrage. The capital needs about 150 MLD of water daily for its all kinds of needs out of which Kuakhai river alone provides 100 MLD of water.