Thousands of hectares of paddy filed submerged under water, Kalain and Katigorah farmers seek state intervention

The farmers of Kalain and Katigorah are reeling from the aftermath of severe hailstorms and torrential rainfall leading to extensive waterlogging. The inundation of thousands of acres of Boro Paddy (বরো ধান) fields. The closure of Sadirkhal sluice gates along the Indo-Bangladesh Border exacerbated the citation, leaving the farmers to grapple with immense losses. The miserable farmers allege a conspiracy by the rich fishermen who didn’t let the sluice gates open for their profit.

According to the local farmer of the Chandinagar area, the recent hailstorms wreaked havoc on Boro rice cultivation, inflicting significant damage. However, the situation escalated further as incessant rainfall over the past 4 to 5 days led to widespread waterlogging, submerging vast tracts of the paddy fields. Khelma, Jabda, Hiloatilla, Subodhnagar, Kairikandi, and Mahadebpur are among the worst affected villages in the Chandinagar Part IV area of Katigorah. Sources in the Agriculture Office confirmed that 315 hectares of paddy fields in Katigorah and 225 hectares in Kalain have suffered significant losses. Farmers believe the figures to be much more than that.

The helpless farmers including, Pranesh Das, Niranjan Das, Rathikant Das, Montulal Das, Bishwajit Das, Sudam Das, Nur Uddin, and Adhir Das on Saturday broke down and said, “Whenever there is rainfall the fishermen don’t allow the water to drain out and it gets logged in our fields. They release it as per their comfort of fishing. We just started plating the new padd saplings y and then the rainfall came. We could barely harvest 5% of our crop. We request the government for assistance and help us overcome this heavy loss of our livelihood”.

Farmers, already grappling with the challenges posed by climate change and fluctuating weather patterns, now face the daunting task of recovering from the latest blow to their livelihoods. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the crop insurance scheme was implemented in Assam back in 2016 and it covers risks such as Localized Calamities. It remains to be seen whether they are compensated by the scheme.