Tarn Taran, September 26: The administration has been on toes following the incessant rain on Saturday and Sunday.The showers wreaked havoc in around a dozen villages of the border district.
Thousands of acres of crops in Algon Kalan, Masatgarh, Thathi Jaimal Sigh, Kalia Sakattra, Seeto Meh Jhugian, Seeto Nau Abad, Dialpura, Bhikhiwind, Soorwind, Bhaini, Khakh, Miani and Goindwal Sahib villages have been submerged. The agriculture department officials have estimated the damage of paddy and fodder around 2,880 and 2,40 hectares respectively.
Chief agriculture officer (CAO) Harwinderjit Singh said, “As per our estimate, a loss of around 2% of the total crops in the district has been assessed. In some low laying areas, paddy crop has submerged completely so the actual loss will be calculated only after the water is drained out from the fields,” he said.
Most of the affected villages were flooded due to the overflowing water of two drains — Defense and Patti drain — in the district. Residents of Seeto Meh Jhugian said that due to the incessant rains, the Patti drain suffered a breach on Monday and the overflowing water damaged crops.
Tarn Taran DC Pardeep Sabarwal, on Tuesday said, “Due to the illegal encroachments near the drain, water overflowed.The drains department officials will also be investigated as the drain was never cleaned before.”
The Defense drain which passes through border area villages in Bhikhiwind sub-division also overflowed on Monday night, damaging the crops of around five villages.
The DC said, “The area of the drain comes under army and as the two drain gates were closed, water overflowed, following which we contacted the army and the gates were opened. The situation is under control now.”
In a relief to the farmers and people living in the nearby areas of Ravi river, the flow of water has decreased from 1.45 lakh cusec to 1.12 lakh cusec. “The situation is under control,” Amritsar deputy commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, here on Tuesday.
Sangh along with sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajat Obrai and other officials conducted a visit to Ajnala sub-division to take stock of the situation.
“The administration has made all arrangements to deal with any kind of emergency situation and a control room has also set up. People in crisis can contact at 0183-2229125 any time,” he said. “As per the estimate, the rain has damaged the crops on more than 12,000 hectare”, said Dalbir Singh Chhina, chief agriculture officer, Amritsar.
He said, the district recorded an average of 120 mm in the last few days. Sharing the details of the damaged crop, he said, paddy and basmati crops were sown on 1.8 lakh hectare, out of which 9,000 hectare was destroyed.
DC Vipul Ujwal ordered girdawari of the crop loss caused due to incessant rain that lashed Gurdaspur district for two days, on Tuesday.
Chief agriculture officer Inderjit Singh said, “Teams have been formed to assess the crop damage and a report will be sent to the state government for further action to provide relief to the affected farmers.”
Singh said, the Basmati (1509) is the worst affected crop.
“Other rice varieties —121,126 and 1121 — will produce good yield if the standing rainwater in the fields is drained out within three to four days if the rain doesn’t hit the area again during the said period,” he said.
The over all damage caused by rains to the paddy crop in Gurdaspur district will not exceed 5%, he said.
Kirti Kisan Union, Punjab, vice-president, Satbir Singh of Sultani village asserted that the paddy growers in the district will have to suffer bigger losses than estimated as their crop will not be able to fulfil the specifications fixed by the government procurement agencies for the purchase.
He said, “If we sell the produce to private players,they will exploit the farmers.”
Source Hindustan Times
