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Muktsar waterlogging: Experts blame faulty drains
Sarbjit Dhaliwal and Archit Watts/TNS

Dr JS Samra, Chief Executive Officer, National Rainfed Area Authority, in Muktsar on Thursday. A Tribune photo

Three-pronged strategy Rectify alignment of drains.These drains laid to remove water have now turned counter-productive Excessive water allowance, a technical term for allocation of quantity of water to acreage of land from a canal, be checked Paddy cultivation in the area must be discouraged and aquaculture promoted instead

Chandigarh, September 12
A Central team of experts that visited the Muktsar belt, one of the best cotton-producing areas in the region, has concluded that excessive irrigation, faulty alignment of drains and a wrong cropping pattern are responsible for persistent waterlogging in the area.

The problem has become acute. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who belongs to Muktsar, has been camping in the area for the past four days.

Chief Executive Officer of the National Rainfed Area Authority Dr JS Samra, one of the members of the Central team, said there was an immediate need to rectify the alignment of drains.These drains had been laid to remove water but had now turned counter-productive. Instead of draining out water, these had become a source of waterlogging.

"We will submit a report to the Chief Minister by the end of next week. Steps required to be taken to deal with the problem have been discussed with the authorities concerned," said Dr Samra who stayed in Muktsar for three days. He was accompanied by former Chairman of the Central Water Commission Rajesh Kumar.

Dr Samra said said technically water from villages and fields should naturally flow into the drainage system. However, this was not happening. At most places, water had to be pumped out with the help of diesel sets and thrown into the drains.

Another factor contributing to the problem was excessive irrigation. Easy availability of canal water had led to flood irrigation and this had raised the level of subsoil water over the years.

"I would say that excessive water allowance, a technical term for allocation of quantity of water to acreage of land from a canal outlet, is responsible for waterlogging in the area," Dr Samra maintained.

"During 1950-60, the subsoil water level was 150 ft. It was now about 5 ft, leaving no scope for the surface rainwater to seep into the soil," explained the expert.

He said a bowl-like tract had been created beneath the subsoil in Muktsar and water had accumulated in that tract. Also, there had been seepage from nearby canals, Sirhind Feeder and Rajasthan feeder, which had added to the problem, he said. He said paddy cultivation in the area must be discouraged and aquaculture promoted instead.

The recommendation to drastically cut canal water allowance is not likely to be accepted by the state government. Canal water is a touchy issue and the government will have to think twice before taking any decision in this regard.