KalingaTimes Correspondent
Kendrapara, Oct 20: The building of minor dams and barrages along the Mahanadi river system would prove more productive to contain the flood's fury in mighty Mahanadi , according to experts.

Former engineer-in-chief of water resources department Bishnu Prasad Das, participating in a debate organized today by Kendrapara district flood relief committee, said that carving out of another major multi-purpose dam project like Hirakud may not the ideal solution to tame flood threat along Mahanadi river basin and deltaic region.

The Tel, Ong and Sutkel, tributaries of Mahanadi , are ideal spots for building up of such dams and barrages, he suggested adding that such project would act as some sort of safety valve and regulators to minimise the magnitude of flood.

None can assertively emphasise that flood would be entirely controlled with the coming up of yet another major multi-purpose dam project, he said adding that the dredging operation of river beds need to be carried out to contain siltation and swift discharge of swelling flood water.

Dwelling at length the utility of the Hirakud project, Das came out with astronomical figures quantifying the profits from the dam. The state gained minimum Rs 30,000 crores during last few decades due to Hirakud dam on account of irrigation, power generation and flood control.

He said conservative estimate of annual electricity generation from the project could be around Rs 300 crores and management and damage cost during a flood that was checked by the dam was guesstimated about Rs 500 crores. With the annual gains worth of approximately Rs 1700 crores from Hirakud dam, the total earning from the dam could cross more than Rs 30,000 crores during the last two decades, Das said.

“The dam checked floods 24 times during 30 high flood situations. Only on seven occasions, the floods ravaged the State. Had there not been the structure, the damage on account of flood could have been colossal,” he said.

Former revenue minister and senior congress leader Bhagabat Prasad Mohanty pressed forth for a judicial inquiry into factors that led to the September 30 devastating flood.

Describing it as man-made, Mohanty charged that engineers erred in judgment and allowed the accumulated water to swell in Hirakud dam. The water level of Hirakud was not properly monitored paving the way for last month's flood, he added.