At Balagarh ( Sija Kamalpur ) not far from Katwa, a heavily silted Behulanodi or Kananodi existed between Harisharpool & Gaurnai, that offered a spectrum of possibilities . During the height of monsoon and during high tide, there would be ingress of water from the river Hooghly and the accumulated water would host a variety of fish, much to the delight of the local villagers. But soon , the river bed would dry up and the fish would vanish.
A very interesting project was envisaged surrounding the Kananodi. A 3 km stretch from the 13 km length of the river was earmarked for extensive pilot excavation with three check dams. Once completed, this would uncork a range of possibilities. The stored water in the excavated stretch can be utilized for culture of sharply declining , economically important fish , like shingi, magur,koi and such other species that fetch a good price in the market. The water can also be used for minor irrigation in the adjoining agricultural land to assist in horticulture, including onion cultivation, one of the important cash crops, and also aerial cultivation on the raised banks.
What is more, the stored water would help in water conservation during the dry season with the reduced use of borewells and help in recharging ground water in the area.
Work on what is certainly a unique intervention, was started on February 14 and it is expected to be complete within 2 months.
The local MLA and the Panchayat Pradhan were present to lend support to the project. This project answers the long term demands of the local population who have been appealing for such an intervention.
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