84 new borewells to be installed in Palwal villages to deal with waterlogging issue

Tribune News Service

Palwal, December 31

The Irrigation Department has launched a drive to install 84 new borewells in the Hathin subdivision for dealing with the problem of waterlogging on the agricultural land of the district. The department aims at making a total of 148 borewells functional in the affected area, it is reported.

Sources in the Irrigation Department revealed that while nearly 64 borewells had already been installed in the low-lying areas of many villages falling in the Hathin subdivision over the past three years, a total around 1,1000 acres was in the grip of the problem. The cumulative number of borewells in the region is likely to swell up to 148 as the state government has sanctioned adequate funds for the project, says Pravin Dagar MLA, Hathin, who inaugurated the construction work of a borewell at Mandkola village recently. The borewells will help in dealing with the waterlogging problem that had been persistent for over three decades, it is claimed.

However, the borewells that have already been installed have certain issues and a majority of these are yet to get power connection, it is revealed as there is no electricity connection, these have been lying unused.

The affected villages include Akbarpur Natol, Jita Kherli, Siyaroli, Kahnoli, Mandkola, Madnaka, Durenchi, Bhigawali, Mirpur, Chhainsa, Mathepur, Mahlooka, Norangabad, Hunchpuri Kalan, Hunchpuri Khurd, Ranseeka,Jalalpur, Rebar, Kotlaka, Kamarchand, Kurthala, Allika and Gughera.

Mohan Singh, a farmer, said there was no stable and long-term plans for dealing with the waterlogging issue. Though some pumps had been installed on a perennial basis, the slow pace of work had not given desired results despite the official claims made each year, he said.

"The problem has been serious and the farmers have been bearing the brunt," says Mahender Singh, an office-bearer of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, a farmers' body.

He further said that it had affected the sowing of rabi crops almost every year. While the fields of many villages falling in the vicinity of the Gonchhi drain were among those affected. The water consumption capacity of the land in more than 10,000 acres had become minimal or lost completely, due to the area being low-lying and a high water table due to seepage caused by the canal.

"The civil work of the installation of 84 new borewells at the cost of Rs 4.70 crore has been initiated," said Mohit Vashistha, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department. He said the electrification of the already installed borewells would also be taken up soon.

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