Publish Date: | Fri, 11 Mar 2022 08:57 PM (IST)
Korba (Rep. of New Zealand). The stop dams built to water the fields dried up before the onset of summer. The Agriculture Department has constructed more than 50 dams within five years in Pasan and Kendai forest ranges. In the absence of a gate, the rain water is not stopping. The dam is not being used for rabi and not even kharif.
How government funds have been misused in the name of water conservation can be seen in various forest areas of Katghora forest division. Many such drains flow from within the forest, in which stop dams were to be made and used for irrigation. The stop dam has been constructed under the Land Conservation and Water Promotion Scheme of the Agriculture Department. 12 to 20 lakh was released for the construction of each dam. The dam was not even inspected by the department within five years of construction. Complaints have been made many times to the local villagers about not being able to use it for irrigation. There are many such dams in the Kendai and Pasan ranges, which have been constructed in Barsati Nala. The condition of the construction is that even the gate has not been installed in the dam. Under the water conservation scheme, before the construction of the check dam, a water conservation committee was to be formed, so that irrigation facilities could be provided under the supervision of the villagers. Watershed has been constructed in the forest land under Gram Panchayat Barra without informing the villagers. If the investigation is done by the district administration, then the names of many people related to irregularities can come to the fore. However, no action has been taken so far to make the dry dam useful. The extent of the irregularity in the construction is that three stop dams were built within a radius of 100 meters and there is no water facility in all three.
Wildlife wanders thirsty for water
The purpose of making stop dams is not only irrigation, but also to ensure water facility for wildlife. Due to lack of water, wild animals wander from the surrounding forest towards the village. The Kendai and Pasan elephants come in the affected area. The Forest Department has also not taken initiative for drinking water facility. Teams of elephants are moving from one forest area to another due to lack of water. During this, the houses coming on the way are destroying the crop. Due to the lack of trees in the forest, the drains flowing throughout the year have also started drying up. In the direction of conservation, the construction of check dam proved to be useless for the people.
Irrigation plan was in two and a half thousand hectares
Two and a half thousand hectares of agricultural land could have been irrigated by the stop dam built till now, but at present, only 27 thousand hectares of land is being irrigated. The scheme of irrigating the fields is proving unsuccessful. This facility is available only in Kharif. Not a single dam is capable of providing water for Rabi crops. Due to non-construction of dams in the drains having water facility during summer, water is wasted. In the last two years, the organization of administrative camps is also closed during the Corona period. Due to this also the complaint of the matter did not reach the administration. The camp is scheduled to start from the last week of March. Villagers deprived of facilities are now preparing to complain.
The stop dam construction took place under the supervision of the panchayats. They have been transferred after construction. The responsibility of maintenance rests with the local panchayat. If there is a problem with the water supply from the dam, it will be investigated. Incomplete staff dam will be completed.
AK Shukla, Deputy Director, Agriculture Korba
Posted By: Nai Dunia News Network