Thousands of acres still under water in Rohtak’s Meham

More than a month after heavy rains, thousands of acres of farmland in Meham subdivision of Rohtak district remain submerged, destroying standing crops and leaving farmers in despair.

Crops of paddy, bajra, cotton, and jowar have been ruined, and farmers fear the sowing of wheat may not be possible if waterlogging persists.

“Nearly 2,000 acres under cultivation in our village is still waterlogged, causing massive crop losses to farmers. The Irrigation Department and local administration have tried to drain the water, but the arrangements are proving inadequate,” said Karamvir, a resident of Saiman village.

He said the pipelines laid for drainage are insufficient and demanded installation of larger pipelines with higher capacity.

Farmers Ram Niwas, Dalsher, and Salook Sharma echoed the demand for a permanent solution to what they termed a “perennial issue of waterlogging”. They also pressed for pending crop-loss compensation and provision of solar pumps for dewatering.

Villages, including Bhaini Surjan, Putthi, Kharkara, and Behlba, are facing a similar crisis.

All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) state general secretary Sumit Dalal criticised the government’s response and said: “Short-term arrangements are made to drain out water during monsoons instead of finding a long-term solution.”

Meham SDM Mukund assured farmers that permanent measures are being worked out.

“We plan to extend the tail-end situated at Bhaini Surjan to Meham so that excess water inundating the village can be used to meet the area’s needs. Installation of permanent pump-sets is also being planned,” he said.

Superintending Engineer (Irrigation) Balraj Singh explained that part of the problem stems from jurisdictional hurdles.

“Some of the worst-affected villages in Meham fall under Bhiwani and Jind circles, which creates techno-official issues. The Chief Engineer has recommended bringing these villages under the Rohtak circle for smoother execution of solutions,” he said.

He added that immediate relief measures are still being taken despite the jurisdictional complications.

Haryana Tribune