Water level in Beas rises, desilting of fields affected

Tarn Taran, September 19

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Fresh spell of rain in some areas of the district has worried the farmers. The showers were reported to be low to medium in intensity on Monday and Sunday. Harpal Singh Pannu, Chief Agriculture Officer, claimed that there were no reports of any loss or damage to crops from any part of the district till today. Pannu said that in case there was high-velocity wind in the coming days, then loss or damage to the crops cannot be ruled out.

Reports were received from the Mand area of today’s rain in areas along the river Beas bothering the farmers and the district administration. With heavy rain on Tuesday, water level in the Beas has gone up. Balbir Singh and Sukhdev Singh, siblings who are residents of Bhail Dhai Wala, said the river water has entered the fields again in the Mand area. It has affected the work going on to clean the fields that were filled with sand and silt because of the floods. There were reports from Tarn Taran district of some early varieties of paddy arriving in the grain market. In case the downpour continues, it may well delay the harvesting and damage mature crop. The farmers of the area preferred to grow the PR 1509, 1692 and 110 varieties of paddy which are now mature and ready to be be harvested. But the present spell of rain may not prove to be beneficial for these paddy varieties.

The three-day spell of rain has delayed the sowing of peas (matar) crop to be harvested before the wheat sowing season. Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from Dugalwala village, said clear sky was now required as accumulation of water in the fields may harm the crops in case there is rain again in the coming days.