NABARANGPUR: Over 80 per cent of Nabarangpur’s population depends on agriculture, but irrigation has been a perennial problem for the farmers. While the State Government has been announcing several irrigation projects over the years, majority of them are yet to see the light of the day.
The district has 1.85 lakh hectare (ha) of cultivable land of which, 1.56 lakh ha are high and medium land that depend on rain water as there are no irrigation facilities. Erratic rainfall and lack of irrigation facilities have crippled the agriculture system in the district.
After Upper Indravati Multi-Purpose Project was completed in 1999, the water of the river and its tributaries - Padagada, Kapur and Muran - was diverted to Kalahandi district leaving Nabarangpur farmers in the downstream, who cultivated cash crops, high and dry. While Indravati originates from Kalahandi, about 45 km from the present dam site situated in Nabarangpur, the other three tributaries belong to Nabarangpur and Koraput districts.
Initially, it was planned to irrigate 1,82,000 acre of land in Nabarangpur district by constructing dams across Padagad, Kapur and Muran. It could have served as a perennial source of water for the farmers and an effective instrument to develop the socio-economic condition of the people.
However, the decision to divert the entire water of the project to Kalahandi deprived local farmers of the advantage.
Since long, Nabarangpur farmers have been demanding the State Government to implement Turi-Guntat medium irrigation project, Lower Bhaskel medium irrigation project, Tel integrated project, Angi medium irrigation project besides a project to provide irrigation from Indravati reservoir. But, these projects are pending at different levels.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid foundation stone for Lower Indravati canal project in 2014 with an aim to provide irrigation from Indravati reservoir. It would have irrigated 37,000 acre but construction of the project has not been started yet.
Similarly, the Turi-Guntat medium irrigation project was given a green signal by the Central Water Commission in 2016 and it would provide irrigation to around 23,000 acre besides providing drinking water facilities to people living in the command area of each barrage, after completion.
It envisages construction of two barrages, one each across river Turi and river Guntat. While Turi is a left tributary of Indravati, Guntat is a sub-tributary of Turi.
The project is located in the Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin. Turi and Guntat originate from the hilly area of Chandrapur village in Papadahandi block of district and both the rivers meet near Siuni village, about 3.5 km downstream of the proposed barrage sites. Work on Turi-Guntat project, too, has not started yet.
Similarly, Lower Bhaskel medium irrigation project, Tel integrated project and Angi medium irrigation project have so far remained confined to official files.