Champua/Joda/Jhumpura: Floods due to heavy rains towards the last part of August spelt a doom to the lift irrigation (LI) sector in riparian parts of Keonjhar district, a report said.
According to the report, 186 LI points were damaged by floods in Champua, Joda and Jhumpura blocks. The cost of the damage was estimated at Rs 50 lakh.
Floods from Baitarani, Aradei and Karo rivers left LI points and their cables submerged under water. About 110 LI points in Champua, 48 in Joda and 28 in Jhumpura blocks were damaged by floods. Cables, panel boards and starters were damaged too.
As the LI points are not working, famers have to face difficulties in irrigating their farmland.
They have been frequenting to the lift irrigation office with request to repair the defunct LI points.
They pointed out that many farmlands require water due to insufficient rainfall.
“If the LI points are not repaired, farming in the rabi season will be affected. The department should take immediate steps to set things right before the farming season,” affected farmers said.
“We hope to raise pulses and oil seeds, apart from rabi and kharif crops, but we are unable to get irrigation facilities as all the LI points are defunct,” they lamented.
According to reports, the irrigation department had set up several LI points along Aradei in Rajia panchayat in 2016-17 with an expenditure of Rs 16.24 lakh. The LI points give irrigation coverage to 40 acres of land.
Assistant engineer of the lift irrigation department, Ramesh Chandra Nayak said that after receiving complaints from farmers, the district authorities were apprised of the damage by floods. The cost of the damaged LI points was estimated at Rs 50 lakh while efforts are on to redress the problems of the farmers.
PNN