Waterlogging major problem in six villages of Charkhi Dadri The spectre of crop failure is looming large over around 3,000 acres of farmland at six villages of the Charkhi Dadri block in Bhiwani district. Farmers are facing a flood-like situation in the absence of proper rainwater drainage even though Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had announced a package of Rs 100 crore to control waterlogging in the area two years ago. Farmers of Kamod, Mirchi, Jaishree, Misri, Khatiwas and Loharwala have been facing this problem for years. A good spell of rain not only damages standing crops, but washes away the chances of sowing the rabi crop the next season. The financial condition of farmers has been deteriorating as the average annual income from agriculture has been reduced to a measly Rs 20,000, the farmers said. Gulab Singh Yadav of Misri village, who lost the cotton crop on three acres and jowar on one acre, said it had been an annual phenomenon. “Even a below average spell of rain destroys the crops as there is no drainage system. After the floods in 1995, the entire area was waterlogged and the water table improved drastically, bringing misfortune for us,” he said. Mitrapal Singh of Kamod village said frequent crop failures over the years had made farming unviable. “Not only do we lose the crop, but we are not able to sow rabi crops like wheat and mustard as fields remain waterlogged,” he said. Cooperation and Housing Minister Satpal Sangwan, who is the legislator from Dadri, inspected flood-affected areas in the villages last Tuesday and issued directions to officials to take measures to drain out the rainwater. He said the government had been formulating a scheme for a permanent solution to the problem. BS Nehra, Executive Engineer, Irrigation, Dadri, maintained that the water table had been quite high in the area and the problem got aggravated when farmers sowed paddy along the Loharu canal, resulting in flooding of fields in adjoining villages. “They have been installing pump sets to drain out water from the fields. The situation is under control as there has been less rain so far,” he said. He said paddy sowing should be banned in the area as it was the main factor behind waterlogging. Gulab Singh Yadav said a panchayat of the villages had imposed restrictions on padding sowing last year, but farmers of villages adjoining the Loharu canal ignored those.