The marching sea has taken a toll on Podampeta’s agriculture and fishing communities through rapid sea ingress and consequent cyclones. Now, the town’s houses lie locked and empty. Prakriti Panda captures the state of Podampeta in pictures
Odisha’s coastal town Podampeta has been conquered by the climate crisis. Its residents are slowly leaving their homes, unable to fight the rapid sea ingress threatening the local community's livelihoods and environment. The town is now just a shell of the lives that used to live in this thriving area earlier. Photo: Prakriti Panda
Media reports last year reported several houses in the village in Ganjam district being washed away by high tides in July 2022. The village is now slowly emptying out in search of safer homes. The houses are left locked and are now overgrown with weeds. Photo: Prakriti Panda
The environmental impacts of sea ingress in Podampeta are significant. The inundation of seawater into the soil has salinised it, rendering the land unsuitable for agriculture. The loss of fertile land has had severe consequences for the local community, many of whom relied on farming for their livelihoods. Photo: Prakriti Panda
The ingress of seawater has also impacted the marine ecosystem, affecting fish stocks and the livelihoods of local fishermen, affecting the only other source of their income. Photo: Prakriti Panda
The marching sea is not the only climate impact on the village. Cyclones, visiting the village year after year, have also left a trail of destruction as houses crumbled under their force. Broken and empty Podampeta is now just a reminder of its past. Photo: Prakriti Panda
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