Jajpur: Water is constantly seeping through the cracks of the left bank canal of Rengali multi-purpose project, along 22-km stretch from Odisha village under Bhuban block in Dhenkanal district to Madhapur village under Sukinda block in Jajpur district.
This has made the local residents sceptical about the future of the canal. At the same time, farmers have alleged they are not getting water when they require it most to save their crops.
While concerned officials are trying to assuage people’s fear, saying nothing as such will happen, local people say if nothing will happen in near future, it cannot be ruled out that there will be no danger in future.
The farmers in the locality alleged that the canal had been silted up due to lack of repair and management, resulting in poor flow of water.
“The irrigation department claims that the project is presently irrigating 9,558 hectares of land. But the ground reality is that even half the declared land hardly gets water,” they alleged.
Kharif crop has badly been affected due to shortage of rainfall this year. The farmers were waiting for water in the left bank canal of the project to save their withered crops. But that did not happen.
They alleged that they did not get water only because of the concerned officials’ lack of will power and snail’s pace of construction work.
The farmers of Baragaji, Bhalukipatali, Garamian, Kankadapala, Kateni, Giringamali, Pimpudia, Gandhapala, Dudhujori, Bandhagaon, Kantapala, Manatira, Madhapur, Badakathia, Odisha, Khukusha and Anala villages alleged that they were not getting water.
In June, July and August, the district received 18, 60 and 52 per cent less rainfall respectively. The farmers who had already started agricultural work in June witnessed seedling blight.
During the same period, the farmers of Sukinda block in Jajpur district and Bhuban block in Dhenkanal district were pinning hope on canal water.
“Water from the reservoir was released. But the water did not reach farmland because of continuous seeping and accumulation of silt in the canal,” they rued.
So far, only 36 per cent of the construction work of the left bank canal has been completed. The concerned department has estimated that the project would end by July 2024.
It was estimated that the project would irrigate 39,416 hectares of farmlands under six blocks in three districts like Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Keonjhar. It now reportedly irrigates 9,558 hectares.
It is said, the project would be able to irrigate 9,000 hectare by July, 2022; another 5,000 hectare by July, 2023 and 15,828 hectare by July 2024.
When contacted, superintending engineer, Rengali division, Deepak Behera said leakage of water is not a problem. A plan is already there to concretise the stretch to stop it.
“However, the amount of water the farmers will get will depend on the project’s requirement of water,” added Behera.
PNN