Bhubaneswar: NABARD has sanctioned 57 Flood Protection Projects & 01 Rural Bridge amounting to Rs. 220.50 crores to the Government of Odisha under RIDF Tranche XXVIII.
The project will help two credit-starved districts of Kendrapara and Nuapada, four aspirational districts of Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Rayagada, six LWE-affected districts of Bolangir, Boudh, Kalahandi, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Rayagada and eight disaster affected districts of Bolangir, Boudh, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Khurda, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Sonepur.
The project would be implemented by the Department of Water Resources (DOWR- Major & Medium), Government of Odisha. The project envisages the protection and restoration of river banks at 57 identified stretches on 32 different rivers/creeks for restoration/stabilization of agricultural land, and standing crops and providing flood relief operations by the construction of one rural bridge.
The Major items of work for flood protection include Repairing & strengthening of scoured banks of the rivers 50.69 km, construction of launching aprons and stone packing of the slope of embankments, raising and strengthening of embankments (107.74 km), construction of CC guard wall, etc, construction of 93 new spurs, provision of BT road on embankments for a total length of 57.78 km.
The proposal also involves the construction of a Box Cell bridge over Sankha creek in the Jagatsinghpur district. The creek has sluices to prevent saline ingress into the farmlands at Patua and Baghadi respectively.