Berhampur: Fed up with the apathy of the authorities concerned, residents of Sunadeipentho under Patrapur block in Ganjam district took upon themselves to construct a temporary anicut near the village to irrigate cultivable land.
Unable to irrigate more than 200 acres of cultivable land, farmers in the village were a worried lot. They had apprised the agriculture and irrigation department officials about the issue. However, their repeated complaints yielded no results.
Left with no option, the villagers assembled and decided to construct a temporary anicut to store water from Bogi river that passes through the village.
They collected money from their pocket and labored themselves and built the anicut after continuous two to three days of struggle, it was learnt.
“Bogi river passes through our village. However, due to lack of a check dam we were not able to irrigate our lands. Despite, repeated pleas no officials helped us. So, we have built a temporary anicut. We have made it by placing sand-packed sacks,” said a farmer.
It is a temporary one and might be washed away anytime soon. So, we want a permanent check dam to store water and irrigate our lands, another farmer added.
It may be noted here that following persistent demands from the villagers, the irrigation department had constructed a check dam at a whopping cost of Rs 27 lakh. But, the check dam failed to address the issues due to its faulty construction.
Left with no option, the village decided to construct a temporary anicut by placing sand-packed sacks.
“The anicut will help store water and irrigate our agriculture land,’’ said a resident adding that the anicut was a temporary solution.
The villagers demanded for a permanent check dam and warned of a mass agitation if no permanent steps to solve their issues. When contacted, Minor Irrigation Department engineer L Sukla said that he would look into the matter.
PNN