As dry spell stretches on, lack of irrigation facilities hits farmers

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, June 1

Farmers in the Bassa panchayat of the Dehra subdivision of Kangra district are alleging that their crops have been destroyed due to the lack of proper water supply for irrigation.

The farmers are alleging that the irrigation scheme for their panchayats has been lying defunct for the last five-six years.

They are now feeling the pinch of the damaged irrigation scheme as, due to the scorching weather and no rains in the month of May, their vegetable crop has been damaged, the farmers add. The residents of Bassa panchayat alleged that they were receiving drinking water after a span of 4-5 days. With natural sources of water drying up in the region, area residents are frequently faced with acute shortages of water.

Yashpal Singh, a farmer from Bassa, said: “We have been pleading with the Jal Shakti Department of the state to repair the irrigation scheme. This year, due to extreme heat and no irrigation facility, the vegetable crop of the farmers have been destroyed. I have lost crop worth about Rs 10 lakh due to the dry weather and the lack of irrigation facilities,” he said.

Satnam Singh, another farmer from the area, said due to the weather conditions and the lack of irrigation facilities, farmers had lost even fodder crop. Many farmers were being forced to leave their dairy animals to graze in forests due to the lack of fodder, he added. According to sources, the drinking water supply scheme to Bassa village was being sourced from Baner river. The department had resorted to water rationing due the reduced discharge of water in the river.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Jal Shakti Department Chief Engineer Suresh Mahajan over the phone, he was not available for comment.

Sources told The Tribune that despite being located on the banks of the Pong Dam, most areas of the Dehra subdivision faced water shortages during the summers.

Most water schemes of the area depended on local rivers, often causing a shortage of water during the summer months.

It is pertinent to note that the state government is not allowed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to lift water from the Pong Dam reservoir for drinking water and irrigation schemes.

‘Damage in lakhs’

• Farmers are alleging that the irrigation scheme for their panchayats has been lying defunct for the last 5-6 years
• Local farmer Yashpal Singh said: “This year, due to extreme heat and no irrigation facility, the vegetable crop of the farmers have been destroyed. I have lost crop worth about Rs 10 lakh due to the dry weather and the lack of irrigation facilities,” he said.
• Satnam Singh, another farmer from the area, said many farmers were being forced to leave their dairy animals to graze in forests due to the lack of fodder crop.