Farmers Suffer Losses as Maleda Canal Clogged with Hyacinth; Waterlogging Threatens Crops
Kakatpur, 26/10
Tushar Dixit
In the Astarang block, the drainage canal stretching from Maleda College Square through Solpatia, Gudubani, Adikandapur, up to the Sundar culvert, has remained clogged with thick water hyacinth (locally known as kataki dal) for a long time. As a result, rainwater is not draining properly from the nearby agricultural fields, especially during heavy rainfall, leading to paddy and other crops rotting and getting destroyed. Farmers are incurring heavy losses worth thousands of rupees.
Even though the canal is clearly choked with hyacinth, the drainage department remains unresponsive and inactive. Now, during peak farming season, farmers fear that continued unseasonal rains caused by cyclonic systems could entirely destroy the already submerged paddy fields.
Many farmers, who invested lakhs of rupees into this cultivation, are now in distress, holding their heads in despair. Therefore, farmers from ten affected villages are demanding immediate intervention from the local MLA, the state government, district administration, and the drainage department to urgently clean the canal and restore proper drainage before more damage is done.
