After losing kharif crops, Rohtak farmers now fear wheat setback

Wheat sowing is in full swing in the district, but many farmers in around half-a-dozen villages under Meham subdivision are unlikely to sow the crop, as their fields have remained waterlogged for several weeks. Having already lost their kharif crops due to waterlogging, they are now deeply concerned about the future, particularly since many do not have any other source of income.

“A large agricultural area in our village has been flooded for over two months. As a result, the affected farmers have no hope of sowing wheat this season, since the accumulated rainwater is unlikely to drain out during the wheat-sowing period, which begins in October-end and continues until mid-December. Over nine acres of mine are affected by waterlogging,” said Jitender, husband of Farmana village Sarpanch Savita.

He added although pumps were installed to remove the water, it would take time to dewater the fields due to the absence of a permanent drainage system. Monu and Satish, along with other farmers, shared similar concerns about their flooded fields.

Krishan of Bedwa village said the affected farmers in his village had virtually no chance of sowing wheat, as their fields were still submerged. The situation has also drawn the ire of the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leaders, who demanded urgent measures to drain out floodwater and fair compensation for the kharif crop losses.

“Hundreds of acres of agricultural land in at least half a dozen villages remain submerged under floodwater for more than three months. Sowing of rabi crops has become impossible, causing sleepless nights to the farmers who have already suffered heavy losses due to total damage to their kharif crops,” said Inderjit Singh, vice- president of AIKS.

Holding the state government responsible for the situation, Singh said the farmers and workers would hold protest demonstrations on November 26. “Wheat sowing is in full swing, but many farmers will be deprived of sowing due to waterlogging in Saimaan, Bedwa, Bhaini Chanderpal, Farmana, and Sisar being the worst affected villages,” he added.

Meanwhile, former minister and BJP state spokesman Krishan Murti Hooda visited the waterlogged villages and interacted with distressed farmers. He also demanded action against those officials who, he alleged, had been negligent in ensuring timely drainage of the stagnant water.

“Farmers are upset as their fields remain flooded even after a long time. They will not be able to sow wheat crop this season. I have collected feedback from the farmers and will present it to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, urging him to provide adequate compensation for those affected,” said Krishan Murti, adding that the CM always takes up the farmers’ issues on priority.

Later, the BJP leader submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta regarding the issue. “The DC has assured that the accumulated water will be drained out from the fields soon,” Krishan Murti added.

Recently, the DC inspected the ongoing water drainage works at Bahalba, Bhaini Chanderpal, Bhaini Surjan, Saimaan, Bhaini Mato, Bhaini Maharajpur, and Bhaini Bhairon villages. He directed the officials to prepare open-drain projects within 10 days to provide a permanent solution to the waterlogging problem and emphasised that such measures should prevent future flooding.