To drain out rainwater, prepare trenches in fields, Punjab farmers advised

Moga, April 2

In view of the fresh spell of rain in the state, farmers have been advised to dig trenches of 3 to 4 ft radius having a depth of 6 to 8 ft in low-lying areas of wheat and mustard crops to avoid waterlogging in the fields.

Many farmers in Moga district have dug such trenches to drain out extra water from the fields in a natural way.

“It helps recharge the level of groundwater and minimises wastage of water,” said Arun Sood, a farmer of Saleena village, who dug trenches in his wheat and mustard fields.

The plant protection officer of Moga, Dr Jaswinder Brar, said “field drainage” had been installed by some innovative farmers to rapidly remove excess soil water and check waterlogging.

Dr Brar said the removal of excess sub-surface water from fields allowed sufficient air space within the soil and provided easy access to heavy machinery for harvesting the crops once the surface dried up easily and naturally.

While surface water could also be drained out using electric/diesel pumps, digging of open trenches was the most effective means of doing so without incurring any extra cost.