Farmers in Sasrali, Boothgarh villages in Ludhiana await compensation for flood losses

Even as farmers in Sasrali and Boothgarh villages continue to wait for suitable compensation for flood losses, the Sutlej is continuing to cause fresh damage to agricultural fields on a daily basis. Villagers claim that 1-2 acres of fertile land are being eroded every day as the river cuts into the field edges and deposits sand. Farmers are particularly alarmed as the damage continues despite the strengthening of the dhussi bundh during the recent floods.

Speaking to The Tribune, Devinder Singh Nagra of Sasrali village said: “The water has started flowing towards the fields and is daily cutting into the edges to swallow more of our sown land. We are unable to find any solution. The villagers feel the only respite would be to divert the Sutlej flow to the other side, otherwise more fertile land will be lost.”

Another farmer, Budh Singh of Raur village, said that of his 25 acres in Sasrali village, over 15 acres have already been destroyed. “Though the Sutlej’s level is low, it is still entering the fields, eroding the edges and damaging our crops. I also own 60 acres in Raur near Mattewara, where I had poplar trees and paddy, but the entire land stands ruined. Till date, no government official has come to assess the damage,” he rued, adding that excessive water also damaged several tubewells used for irrigation.

Villagers pointed out that a stretch of about 1.5 km was allowing the Sutlej’s flow into the village fields. They warned that if more water is released from Bhakra, the situation could worsen drastically.

BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Balliawal said: “The authorities need to wake up to this reality. The direction of the river’s flow must be altered after consulting experts. I have been getting distress calls from villagers daily with regard to fresh damages.”

Taking a dig at the AAP government, BJP spokesperson Punjab Pritpal Singh Baliawal said that Punjab was reeling under devastating floods and the situation in Sahnewal constituency’s flood-hit villages — especially Sasrali and other settlements along the Sutlej — continues to worsen. Punjab’s Minister for Natural Disaster Management and local MLA Hardeep Singh Mundian has failed to protect his own constituency, he said.

Baliawal stated that breaches in the dhussi bundh caused by the Sutlej had inflicted heavy losses in Sahnewal area. “Earlier, floods had already swept away nearly crops on 450 acres of farmland, and more land is eroding every day,” he said. Residents have tried to construct a new embankment with the administration’s help, but conditions remain critical. “The Sutlej’s relentless force is eating into farmland daily, yet the MLA-cum-minister seems more focussed on covering up his failures than addressing the crisis,” Baliawal added.