More than 200 bigha in Tilathi and Launiya VDCs have been submerged and pulses, oilseed, mustard and wheat crops ruined. The water entered the fields after there was an excessive flow in the canal, said local farmers. [break]
The locals alleged that negligence by officials at Koshi Pump Chandra Nahar Irrigation Management Division has led to the huge harvest loss affecting more than a dozen local farmers.
The farmers had informed the management division about the increased water level in the canal and the possibility of damage but they took no heed, according to Ranjit Jha, an affected farmer in Tilathi VDC-7.
“I had cultivated wheat on two bigha with great effort but the crop has been completely destroyed. It has really saddened me,” said Jha.
He also said the responsible officials should be punished and the affected farmers compensated by the government.
Another farmer, Chinilal Thakur of Tilathi VD-5, has a similar grievance. He had cultivated pulses and oilseed on more than two bigha. “After rice cultivation became difficult, I had turned to wheat, which could be sufficient for a year. But it has been futile,” he said.
Sanjeev Jha of Tilathi VDC-6, Chunchun Jha, Bauku Sutihar and Yogendra Jha of Tilathi VDC-7 and Ram Chandra Das of Launiya VDC-1 are some of the other affected farmers.
The local farmers also said that the chances of crop ruin in the remaining fields of the affected VDCs have mounted as the water level in the canal has not decreased over the last seven days.
The farmers are keeping all-night vigil to avert further crop damage.
According to Ramesh Chandra Chaudhary, an engineer at the management division, the water entered the fields because of some technical fault. “We were unable to transfer the excess water from the main canal to the division canal because of load-shedding,” he said.
A vast area of standing crops in the same area of the district was damaged last year also in similar circumstances.
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