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Taladanda waters for POSCO?

CUTTACK: Possibly to facilitate the South Korean steel major POSCO to use water from the Taladanda canal for its proposed 12 million tonne plant in Jagatsinghpur, the government is going ahead with repairs to the 130-year-old canal. According to sources, the government is going to take long-term loan of Rs. 100 crores from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to repair the canal. It is learnt that the proposal to revamp the canal is in the final stage and that by the end of 2008, the canal, which is considered to be the lifeline of the people of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur, will be ready to carry some 2,000 cusecs of water during monsoon. The East India Company began digging the canal in 1862 for the primary purpose of using the same as a waterway. But the British Government, which took it over, completed the process in 1869. The 85-km-long canal originates from the Mahanadi at Jobra in Cuttack city and reaches the Bay of Bengal near Paradeep. The canal is damaged at many locations while its bed is constantly rising for lack of dredging.

The canal releases 1,300 cusecs of water only during monsoon, which is used to meet human, irrigation and industrial needs. Out of this, 130 cusecs go towards human consumption and evaporation while the Paradeep port, the Paradeep Phosphates Limited and the Oswal Fertilizers Limited use 105 cusecs. Some 1,065 cusecs of water is left for irrigation purpose as against a requirement of 1,250 cusecs to irrigate 75,000 acres in Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.

At least 25,000 acres of land located at the extreme end of the canal do not get even a drop of water for irrigation, sources in the Irrigation Department say.

According to sources in the Agriculture Department, the State loses some Rs. 300 crores of farm produce every year during rabi due to poor irrigation facility.

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