Keonjhar: Farmers at Naigan under Keonjhar block were upset as canal water was obstructed by a railway siphon. They accused the railway authorities of obstructing irrigation. Their farmlands were deprived of water and their crops were affected. Reports said Jhakhapura-Bansapani railway line passes through the village.
The railway authorities have built the siphon to facilitate water passage across the railway line to the farmlands, but it is not working, the farmers lamented. Besides, another siphon is being constructed for the expansion of the second railway line.
Due to faulty construction, all the water passing through the siphon goes down in the railway drain. “If more water gushes out from the nearby dam, then about 70 per cent of water will go down the drain. Only 30 per cent water will percolate in the farmlands and it is insufficient to meet the irrigational need of acres of farmlands, they pointed out.
Farmers demanded that the railway department should take immediate steps to set the faulty siphon right and ensure water reaches the farmlands. They said the dam water is very crucial for them to save the crops at this time.
