JEYPORE: Even as the Irrigation wing has decided to release water for irrigation from January 2, the silted and damaged canals are yet to be cleaned or repaired by Upper Kolab Irrigation Project authorities. And at some places, the canals are covered with unwanted vegetation.Unless cleared, farmers said, water will not reach tail ends of different distributary systems under Upper Kolab project.
For the rabi crop season, as per the guidelines of the Water Resources Department, the Upper Kolab project officials release water to irrigate about 25,000 hectares of land in Jeypore, Kotpad and Borrigumma pockets. In the last apex committee meeting of the project, it was decided that before releasing of water, all the canals in Jeypore, Kundra, Borrigumma and Kotpad ayacut areas would be cleaned and repaired for smooth flow of water to tail ends. However, work has not started yet.
Farmers in Dhanpur, Padmapur, Batasana, Dhamanahani, Kotpad and Kusumi said the project’s canals in their areas have not been cleaned and repaired as a result of which, flow of water will slow down posing threat to paddy crops. A junior engineer of Dhanpur distributary said there are no funds for repairing the canals.