Post News Network
Kalyansinghpur, August 4: Paddy growers under this block in Rayagada district are in dire straits due to scanty rainfall for the last one-and-half-month.
The newly-sprouted paddy saplings have been withered due to lack of rain, the farmers lamented pointing out to their parched fields.
Most of the people in this block eke out a living by cultivating paddy. While many farmers are yet to grow saplings due to little rain, some ryots who had saplings in fields are cursing their fates looking at the withering plants, said locals farmers Radhakrushna Martha, N Simanchal, Madhab Gaya and others. The worst-hit panchayats in the block are – Shikarpai, Palma, Serrigumma and Majhiguda. Some farmers in Mandaput, Talaanchalbadi, Uparanchalbadi, Serigumma and Daulagumma area in Serrigumma panchayats who had sown ragy are in panic fearing crop damage. The whole block would be affected by drought if it doesn’t rain in next two days, they said
Though there is a canal run by the minor irrigation department in Shikarpai, it has no water at the moment. According to reports, two years back, `1 crore were pumped in for the repair of canal. But it got damaged after the first inflow of water. The department has started the repair work now instead of taking it up in summer. Due to fresh repair of the canal, water is not being released in the canal which has irked the farmers. Farmers’ frequent requests to the junior engineer of the department to release water have not yielded any result, locals said. They would resort to agitation if steps are not taken at the earliest, the ryots warned. The JE couldn’t be contacted over the issue.
It may be noted that there are 253 villages under six RI circles in this block having an area of 104 sq km.
