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Following is an excerpt from a news report in Pioneer.

Ansupa, Orissa’s largest fresh water lake, 70 km from here, is set to be revived at a cost of Rs 6.41 crore. The Finance Commission is funding the first phase of the project, during which the lake’s silt load is being removed.

… Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy said the State Government aimed at bringing back both aquatic life and tourists to Ansupa. An existing channel would be revived to facilitate entry of water and trees would be planted on the banks of the lake to check soil erosion, he said, adding that development of ecotourism was an integral part of the project.

The lake previously used to boast of a picture perfect setting between Saranda and Bishnupur hills on the outskirts of the sub-divisional town of Athgarh and was home to migratory birds in winter. It, however, suffered a slow death due to severe erosion around its catchment area, silting and proliferation of algae and hyacinth plants. The lake’s depth has now been reduced to 10 feet from the original 40 feet.

The revival project, being implemented by the District Rural Development Agency, Cuttack, under the Ansupa Area Development Scheme, aims at reopening of the Kabulanala channel on the lake’s south-east side, which used to link it with the Mahanadi till an embankment was constructed on the river a decade back. The floodwaters used to enter the lake from the south-eastern side through the channel and flush out the weeds through a stream, Hulhullanala, which runs into the Mahanadi on the south-western side.

The proposed opening of the channel would revive the natural process of de-weeding as the embankment stalled this natural process and the water entering into the lake could not get released. The heavy silting had set in due to the soil erosion from Saranda hill on the lake’s western side and Bishnupur hill on its north-eastern side due to deforestation. Besides, conversion of the silted area into paddy fields worsened the situation.

Following are excerpts from a New Indian Express report.

Implementation of the first phase projects of the integrated water resources development of Mahanadi basin are likely to start next year.

While the total project cost has been estimated at Rs 3,493 crore, the prioritised projects to be taken up in the first phase will cost around Rs 1,200 crore.

The State Government has submitted a proposal on the proposed project to the World Bank for funding.

A World Bank Identification Mission which visited the State from August 8 to 15 has advised the State Government to take up the proposed basin development plan in a phased manner.

The major components of the Mahanadi basin development plan include five new irrigation projects on Brutanga, Dhauragoth, Upper Lanth, Ong and Ib rivers, rehabilitation and improvement of 13 major and medium irrigation schemes, and six mega lift schemes at Mundali, Banpur, Padmabati, Baiideswar and Upper Indravati.

Improvement of drainage development in eight doabs under Mahanadi basin and flood control below Naraj are the other components.

The project also includes development of new minor irrigation schemes in the basin, basin planning and environmental action plan, formation of river basin organisation, institutional strengthening and capacity building of Pani Panchayats and support for allied activities such as agriculture and horticulture, Water Resources Secretary Aurobinda Behera said.

… The study should also cover the sustainability of the project, it said .

The Mahanadi basin has a catchment area of over 1.41 lakh sq km covering Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra besides Orissa. Over 23 lakh hectares of forest land falls under the catchment area.