What’s Happening with the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project? Displaced Families Still Struggling!
Lower Suktel Irrigation Project: A Troubling Reality
In Bolangir district, the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project was launched amid much excitement just before last year's general elections. However, this initiative led to the displacement of residents from 29 villages, many of whom were relocated without proper resettlement plans.
Currently, numerous families are grappling with significant hardships. A large portion of those displaced have not vacated their original homes and remain in the reservoir area under dire conditions. The community has expressed frustration towards the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, which has been in power for 24 years, blaming them for their plight. As the BJP-led government marks its first year, the ongoing struggles of the displaced have come back into focus. The most affected are landless families residing in temporary settlements like Kusmel. Villagers from Banchhorpali, Podhamunda, Koindapali, and Gadshankar’s Dunguripali report a complete absence of essential services. Over a year after their displacement, they still lack designated homestead land, living in makeshift tin shelters while enduring extreme heat without access to clean drinking water or educational facilities.
Children in these communities have been forced to leave school. Although an Anganwadi center was established in Jhankarpali, it remains inactive due to poor road access. There are no ponds or dams available, and water delivery via tankers is inconsistent. Healthcare services are nonexistent in the region. In Kumiapali, around 70 tribal and other families have chosen to stay in their native village, which is now part of the reservoir zone. These families have lost access to schools, Anganwadi centers, nutrition programs, and maternal and child healthcare, raising serious concerns among human rights advocates. Meanwhile, despite the urgent displacement, the dam has yet to begin water storage. Chief construction engineer Surendra Bhoi indicated that water conservation efforts will commence in the fiscal year 2025–26, with limited irrigation expected for select farmlands. However, with critical components like the dam's ancillary structures and pipeline network still unfinished, farmers are skeptical about irrigating their fields this kharif season.
During the dam's inauguration, former Bolangir MLA Narasingha Mishra, along with then Loisingha MLA Dr. Mukesh Mahaling and former MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, criticized the hurried implementation of the project, highlighting unresolved rehabilitation issues. Interestingly, current BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has now taken up the cause of the displaced, indicating that their issues remain significant in the political and social landscape.
Despite 24 years of BJD governance and one year under BJP rule, the ongoing plight of many displaced individuals without land, shelter, water, education, or healthcare continues to be a pressing topic of public discourse.