Yamuna water enters fields in Karnal villages, farmers worried

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, July 29

With the level of water in the Yamuna increasing, farmers of several villages living along it are worried about their crops as water has entered their fields. A large area in seven villages along the Yamuna has been submerged.

The administration has sounded the alarm bell for the people living along the river and asked them to remain vigilant. It has deployed teams to assist farmers.

The authorities have been claiming that there has been no major loss due to the increase in water level, but farmers said that their paddy crop has been flooded and it was a loss to them.

According to the farmers, the increasing water level in the Yamuna always poses a threat of flash flood in more than 30 villages along it. On the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, water entered fields at Chandrav, Chaugama, Nagal, Sayeed Chapra, Nabiabad, Shergarh Tapu, Mundigarhi and other villages on which hundreds of acres of crops of paddy and fodder were sown.

“Due to heavy rain in the upper areas, the water level in the Yamuna has gone up. As a result, our crops have been submerged,” said Rampal, a farmer.

Another farmer Rakesh said that the government spends crores every year to make new studs and to repair the old ones along the river, but all goes in vain when the water level increases.

Shyam Lal, District Revenue Officer, said that due to increase in level, water had entered fields along with Yamuna, but now, the water has started receding.

“Our teams are in the field to assist the farmers and now, there is no need to worry as the water has started receding. At present, the water level has reached around 70,000 cusecs,” said Sumit Sihag, SDM Indri.

Meanwhile, scores of residents of Barota village today blocked the road over waterlogging in their fields and houses after heavy rainfall.

The residents blamed the poor drainage system for the flood-like situation in their fields and houses. “The drains were not cleaned on time due to which fields and residential areas were waterlogged. Hundreds of acres of paddy are still flooded, but nobody is making efforts to drain the water,” said Ramesh, a resident.

Another protesting resident said they had witnessed waterlogging last week as well. With another spell of rain, a similar situation has arisen.