Lack of rainfall dries up Ghaggar, tubewells rendered ineffective

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, June 24

The Ghaggar river in the Sirsa and Fatehabad regions has started to dry up due to lack of rainfall, causing concern among farmers.

Preventive Measures Initiated

Due to last year’s floods in the Ghaggar river, which caused significant damage to crops and properties in several villages, the Irrigation Department has started working on measures to prevent floods. The department has begun repairing all gates of the Ottu barrage. Water hyacinths are being removed from the Ottu Lake, and the cleaning of canals coming out of the Ottu Head has also started. Additionally, the department has initiated the cleaning of canals under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Currently, the flow of water in the river has ceased, rendering many tubewells ineffective. Many farmers use tube wells and pumps to irrigate their crops with the river water. However, due to insufficient rainfall in the recent months, the river’s flow has reduced in recent days, causing it to dry up.

As a result, several tube wells have become non-functional, and those used for paddy cultivation are causing concern among farmers.

Farmers Satnam Singh, Bhushan Kumar, Devaraj, Mangat, Vikas, and Jhanda Ram mentioned that many small farmers rely on tubewells to irrigate their crops. However, as the river dried up, several tubewells have stopped working, and several are on the verge of shutting down.