CUTTACK: Failure of the Water Resources department to clean irrigation canals, which have turned into garbage dumps, has farmers of Cuttack district worried. The farmers alleged officials of Revenue and Water Resources departments are not checking the actual position of different canals which have dried up.
Apart from encroachment, while bushes have grown up to chest height, most of the canals are choked with garbage and other waste dumped by locals. The choked canals have left the farmers high and dry at a crucial stage of kharif season.
“We have been facing a lot of problems as no steps have been initiated by the Water Resources department to clean and clear the canals which are filled up with bushes and garbage. As our paddy fields are drying up, we have no option but to clean and clear the canal by ourselves to irrigate our fields,” said a few farmers of Mahanga block who are cleaning no-6 (3) branch canal under Kendupatana irrigation sub-division by themselves.
Farmers of Nischintakoili block alleged the Water Resources department had engaged some contractors for cleaning the canals in the area 20 days back. Instead of cleaning the canals manually, the contractors deployed JCB machines to dig deep the canal beds to the extent much below the level of cultivated land. This hindered the flow of water to paddy fields. We have set up check points (bundhs) by placing clay on canal beds to store and lift water to irrigate our fields,” said the farmers.
Earlier, the canals were cleaning using spades manually. However, the contractors are using JCBs to save on cost of labour. Use of JCBs to clean the canals has also resulted in eroding of the canal embankments and eruption of multiple perforations, they alleged.
Generally, the perforations on canal embankments are repaired by ‘khalasis’ of Water Resources department. But as they are not turning up for work, it is a herculean task for the farmers to close multiple perforations.
While revenue officials shifted the responsibility to the Water Resources department, efforts to elicit response from both the superintending engineers of Jagatpur South and North Division on the issue proved futile.