Jajpur(OT Webdesk): Alarming riverbank erosion near Nuapatna in the Nizampur area of Odisha’s Jajpur district has triggered emergency responses, with experts warning of a looming threat to the region’s flood protection infrastructure.
Over 10 feet of land has already been lost to the advancing currents of the swelling Baitarani River.
The erosion, intensified by backpressure from a midstream island and jetty, has placed a recently constructed bridge and a critical flood embankment at risk.
Engineers attribute the rapid collapse to a combination of strong water flow and the soft soil composition of the river island, both of which are accelerating lateral erosion.
Responding swiftly, officials from the Water Resources and Works Departments, along with local administrators, visited the site late Sunday evening.
Sandbagging operations were launched immediately along the weakened stretch, even as long-term reinforcement strategies are being explored.
District authorities confirm the embankment remains intact for now, but caution that further rainfall or upstream inflows could compromise the structure’s stability.
The situation is under continuous monitoring amid weather forecasts that predict more rain in the coming days.
