Subscribe
The Odisha government’s revived proposal to construct a dam at Pipalapanka in Ganjam district at the confluence of the Rushikulya and Odangi rivers has triggered fresh protests from environmentalists and local communities, who allege the project prioritises industrial interests over ecological and human concerns.
While local officials and politicians claim the project aims to provide irrigation to farmers, environmentalists alleged a hidden agenda — to supply water to industries, including the Adani Group’s port at Gopalpur.
“The main purpose of the dam near Pipalapanka village in Sorada block, Ganjam district is to supply water to industries and to Adani’s Gopalpur port,” said Prafulla Samantara, president of social justice forum Lokshakti Abhiyan and recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
He recently led a 10-day padayatra (foot pilgrimage) to raise awareness about the ecological damage the Pipalapanka dam could cause and to demand the withdrawal of the project. Activists including Sudhir Raut, Bhal Chandra Sadangi, Simanchal Nahak, Aditya Rath, Sudarshan Das, Arun Jena, and Shyam Samundar Khadanga also joined the march.
The Rushikulya river, which originates from the Rushimala hills in Kandhamal district, is considered the lifeline of Ganjam. Several of its tributaries — Jarau, Badanadi, Baghua, Dhanei, and Ghodahada — once ensured year-round flow but had been dammed, weakening the river from November to June, according to Lokshakti Abhiyan activists.
Illegal sand mining further worsened the situation, with Samantara warning that the river faced an “unnatural demise” due to unregulated industrial and infrastructure development.
The Pipalapanka Dam was initially proposed in 1996, when Tata Steel planned a mega steel plant in the Chhatrapur area. At the time, Rajya Sabha MP Jayanti Pattnaik urged the central government to approve the reservoir project to support the proposed steel plant, which would require 60 million gallons of water per day from the proposed reservoir.
She claimed only 4 per cent of forest land would be submerged with no adverse impact on the region’s flora and fauna and that compensatory afforestation would be carried out over 1,178 hectares in Gajapati district.
“The execution of this project is essential to meet the water requirements of the Integrated Steel Plant being established on the Gopalpur Coast in Ganjam,” she stated in her written submission to the Parliament, arguing that the plant will generate significant foreign exchange and support the rising demand for steel once commercial production commences.
However, widespread public protests led by environmentalists and political leaders forced Tata Steel to abandon the project. The dam proposal was also shelved.
In 2023, the state government under the former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik revived the dam plan and prepared a preliminary report with an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore. The plan was again put on hold without explanation.
The proposal resurfaced after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state in June 2024. A public hearing took place on December 24, 2024, amid strong local opposition.
Sorada Tehsildar Akash Ranjan Sahu informed attendees at the hearing that a fresh survey had been conducted. The project would require over 1,100 hectares of land — around 35 hectares of private land and 847 hectares of reserved forest. He claimed no homes or villages would be displaced.
Debendra Pradhan, Executive Engineer, at the hearing stated the dam would irrigate 2,500 hectares, including 700 hectares in Gajalbadi Panchayat and 1,800 hectares in Gopalpur Sasan Panchayat.
Despite these assurances, hundreds of residents from 23 villages attended the hearing to voice opposition. “Pipalapanka is home to 2,000 hectares of lush forest, which sustains the livelihoods of tribal communities. All of this is at risk of submersion,” said Samantara. He dismissed the government’s claims of irrigation benefits as false.
He further argued that the dam would obstruct the river’s natural flow, drying up the Rushikulya from November to June. This, the activist warned, would collapse the river’s ecosystem, disable lift irrigation systems and deplete groundwater levels — affecting tanks, wells and drinking water sources.
The Rushikulya beach is a major nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles too. The beach saw a record-breaking mass nesting event occurring in early 2025, drawing nearly 700,000 turtles.
For two years, the Rushikulya Suraksha Action Committee had led campaigns against the dam and illegal sand mining along the riverbanks. Activists claimed seawater from the Bay of Bengal had already begun intruding into the river’s mouth, making freshwater saline and reducing fish yields. They warned that further obstruction would exacerbate water scarcity, impact irrigation canals and affect the drinking water supply for Berhampur and Chatrapur.
With Gopalpur Port now handed over to the Adani Group, Samantara questioned why the dam was being built. “Why pursue a dam that the people have already rejected, at the cost of a vital river?” he asked.
Environmentalists proposed alternative solutions, including desilting existing tributary reservoirs and constructing decentralised storage tanks and lakes along the river. “Neither the government nor private companies have the right to destroy a river in the name of development. Rivers have a right to flow naturally — and the people have a right to them,” they said.
