‘No proper drainage,rising groundwater levels cause for worry’

“The water level,around two years ago was 20 feet,now it has almost reached the surface. We were lucky last year that the monsoons were weak,otherwise our land would have been submerged,” said Ajit Saharan,former chairman of the market committee,who owns kinnow farms on the Abohar-Ganganagar road.

While Ajit continues to grow kinnows,others in Muradwala,Gadhatop,Saidanwala,Alamgarh villages have switched to paddy or vegetables.

“ More than 150 acre in these villages have stopped growing kinnows,” confirmed agriculture officer Sandeep Rinwa. Around 800 acre has been affected in Abohar and Khuyiansarvar block,according to the records of the agriculture department.

The problems don’t end here,even the water in the tubewells these blocks has high content of fluoride,said the officials of public health department.

Last year,2000 acre in Bawalbassi village was submerged under water. It is high time that the drainage department does something about this problem,said Naresh Sood,a farmer in Kabarwala village who has shifted to cultivating vegetables.

Another farmer Ashwini Setia said,“Houses in villages have started developing cracks as the water level has almost reached the surface. The adjoining city area will also be under danger in the monsoon season.”

This problem is in the records of the drainage department. However,all the work is being carried on in the Muktsar district,where the water levels have gone down by 6-7 feet.

Congress MLA Sunil Jakhar passed the buck to the state government,saying that the areas under him were being ignored and the farmers had to suffer. Apart from Abohar,large parts of Balluana and Fazilka are also suffering from this problem.

According to the records of the drainage department a total of 332 villages in Muktsar,Ferozeour and Faridkot belt are facing the problem of rising water level. A population of around 1.73 lakh and 84,800 hectare under agriculture have been affected.

Executive engineer of the drainage department K K Singla said,a project worth Rs 300 crore has been sanctioned to solve the problem in these areas. Muktsar has seen some good results and the same will be replicated in other districts soon.

“We are aware that some houses have also been affected and an additional Rs 80 crore will be sanctioned for the same,” he said. Everything will be in order before the monsoons,he added.