Farmers fear loss of crops, fodder as canal breach inundates 500 acres

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, June 26

More than 150 families of farmers in Lauhuka village located on Tarn Taran-Patti road have lost contact with other parts of the area after 500 acres of their land was inundated due to yesterday’s breach that had occurred in Kasur Branch Lower (KBL) canal. The alleged apathy of the administration was being flayed as a number of farmers have lost their crops twice in a month as the drain developed a breach just three weeks ago near the present spot.

Charanjit Singh, Bhagwant Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Sawran Singh, Gurmej Singh, Satnam Singh, Dalbir Singh, Kuldeep Singh and other flood affected farmers said with their land getting inundated, under 3-5 feet deep water, their paddy seeds (Paneeri), stored dry fodder, and vegetables crops had been totally destroyed. They said the heatwave and humidity was already having an adverse affect on the health of the elderly and infants. With their surrounding areas getting flooded, they had been confined to their houses and the market place was now beyond their reach. Green and dry fodder was lost. They were unable to go to the market to purchase fresh fodder because of which their cattle were facing a shortage of fodder. The affected farmers said no official had approached them for help and it was matter of great concern that government representatives, ministers or MLAs had not visited the affected area.

On the second day today of the breach, farmers staged a dharna in front of the 66 kVA powercom sub-station and apprised a naib tehsildar who they met at the dharna site about their problems. Today, farmers avoided blocking the road as was done yesterday and the flow of traffic remained normal.

Nachhatar Singh, district president, Kirti Kisan Union, criticised the administration for not sending medical teams to provide aid of affected population.

Kulwinder Singh, Superintendent Engineer, Irrigation, said the flow of canal water to fields had been stopped and the breach was being plugged. Navkirat Singh, District Revenue Officer (DRO), who was officiating as the SDM, Patti, who was on leave, said he was instructing teams of the health and animal husbandry departments to visit the affected area to provide aid. However, the official had no idea about the exact number of farmers’ families affected by the flooding of canal water.

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