Post News Network
Dhamnagar, Dec 3: Farmers in the flood-prone Dhamnagar block are battling water shortage to grow crops even as several rivers crisscross the block.
With ground water table plummeting, the earth is losing moisture content, leaving vast tracts of farmland drought prone. Farmers said there is an urgent need to tap river waters for farming by building sluice gates at places. They said huge quantities of water drains out into the sea, but it should be dammed in rivers like Genguti by setting up sluice gates.
Earlier, farmers checked water from flowing down in Genguti by constructing temporary dams at places and using water during dry season to raise crops. Thousands of farmers in Nadigaon, Bhatasahi, Kothar, Dhusuri, Kasimpur, Bamkura, Raipur and Palasahi used to irrigate farmlands with dam water.
Several other riparian villages like Deuladihi, Bhadaripada, Patrisahi, Narasinghpur, Baharbil, Khopasahi and Bankasahi benefitted from river water. And the farmers could save their crops from drought. But that is not happening now. They say about 75 per cent of farmland remains uncultivated after paddy crop is cut. Harihar Samal of Bankura said Jantamahara is the right place where a sluice gate could be set up to dam water for farming. Sluice gate is a long standing demand of the locals, but the government has not taken any step in this regard, he added.
Samal recalled that when he was a child, the administration had declared to set up a dam, but nothing has happened. Niranjan Samat of Pichhalo village said former MLA Hrudananda Mallick had dreamt of building a sluice gate across the river for benefit of the farmers. Later, many leaders had promised to do that, but to no avail, he added.
Ramakant Swain of Narasinghpur says farmers are now struggling to get water for raising crops. They can irrigate their farmlands in eight panchayats if a sluice gate is set up here.
Tapan Panda of Khadimahara said a sluice gate, if set up, can bring in a lot of change in the livelihood of farmers.
