Rayagada, April 9: The Nagavali river, the lifeline of Odisha’s Rayagada district and north Andhra Pradesh is drying up fast with a decline in water level raising concern among the residents.
The river, originating from Niyamgiri hills has been serving the residents of the district for a long time in irrigating their farmlands as well as a source for drinking water.
Earlier, the river used to hold over three feet of water during the summer season. However, the water level is coming down fast before summer raising concern among the local residents.
With the river holding only less than a foot of water, the river is now seen lying dry from its originating area to till Macchlipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. If the situation persists, things may worsen in the coming days. Forget about irrigation of the farmlands, a drop of water will not be available to drink, said environmentalists.
The drop in water level has impacted agriculture in rabi season as the LI points are non-operational due to a lack of water in the river.
The river is the source of drinking water supply to the villages under Kalyansinghpur, Kolnara and Rayagada blocks as well as Rayagada town. Several areas of Andhra Pradesh also depend on the river for drinking water.
Illegal sand mining and smuggling to Andhra Pradesh all along the river bed is the main reason behind the fast decline in water level. Illegal sand mining is also resulting in landslides during the rainy season, during which the width of the river is expanding and changes its course, said observers.
The illegal mining and smuggling are rampant at Kumutipentha, Kotapeta, Maligaon, JKPur, Rayagada town, Par tapur, Sheshkhal and Kereda in the district. The sand extracted here is smuggled to Andhra Pradesh in trucks, alleged environmentalists.
Moreover, the construction of two major irrigation projects downstream of the river by Andhra Pradesh has also affected Nagavali’s water flow. It is alleged that the Totapalli project is using the most water from the river. The neighbouring state is conserving the river water during the rainy and winter seasons and using it for cultivation purposes during the summer season. This apart, it is also constructing several small and minor projects on the river, which is hindering the water flow and drying up the river.
