JAGATSINGHPUR: Heavy rains since the last three days have swamped thousands of hectares (ha) of farmland in Raghunathpur, Biridi and Tirtol blocks as the Hansua river remains choked with weeds.
Nearly 15,000 ha of paddy crops in the three blocks have been submerged in rainwater which is unable to pass through the river, which is actually a drainage channel. Transplanting of paddy has been affected as water remains stagnant in the fields.
Farmers use water from the 98-km Hansua river, which extends from Kandarpur to Erasama, for paddy transplantation during kharif season in case of scanty rainfall and delay in supply of water through lift irrigation points. Of the total 17,806 ha of farmland in Erasama, 5,003 ha are irrigated by Hansua and the rest are non-irrigated.
Incessant rainfall since the last one week has inundated paddy fields under 4-5 feet water. In many areas, paddy seedlings have rotten and if the stagnant rainwater is not released within one or two days, these will be damaged, said sources.
Farmers of Gothina, Kuamanga, Kotakana, Dhardharpur, Kandapadi, Purnabasant, Eradanaga, Sadeipur, Adheikula, Erandpal, Harishpur, Nuapallei, Gokulpur, Pitambarpur, Radang, Ganailo and Neulia in Raghunathpur and Sibapur in Biridi block alleged that the deposit of silt and growth of wild vegetation in Hansua has obstructed the release of rainwater into the drainage channel.
Farmer leader Devi Prasad Moharana said claimed that no steps have been taken to renovate or clean the drainage channel. Hansua should be dredged immediately to help the flow of rainwater without any obstruction and avert water-logging in paddy fields, he said.
Executive engineer, drainage division Ashish Mishra admitted that thousands of hectares of paddy fields have been flooded due to deposit of slit and weeds in Hansua. Its cleaning could not be taken up due to fund crunch but local junior engineers have been asked to monitor the situation, he added.