HAJIN: As the agricultural season is approaching, the residents of Hajin town in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district are urging the district administration to initiate the desilting process for irrigation canals.
They expressed concerns about difficulties in irrigating paddy fields during the upcoming season in March-April 2024 unless prompt action is taken..
They said that a significant portion of agricultural land, comprising thousands of paddy fields, remained unproductive last year due to the negligence in cleaning the Bonikhan irrigation canal, the primary source for irrigating their fields.
Accumulated silt obstructs the free flow of water, causing substantial losses in rice production, the residents said.
While a small section of the irrigation canal was cleaned initially, the process was abruptly halted by the department, leaving the farmers in distress.
The farmers said they have repeatedly raised this critical issue with the concerned department, but their pleas have gone unanswered.
Sajad Ahmad, a local, said that Hajin has traditionally been a major producer of quality rice in the valley. “However, due to rain deficit and choked irrigation canals, there has been a significant decline in rice production last year, resulting in substantial losses for farmers,” he said.
Ahmad added that due to the non-desilting of the stream from Anzkhud to Bonikhan, one area remains submerged and farmers in another area are striving to get irrigation water for their fields.
Residents said that desilting is the only viable solution to this predicament and could permanently resolve the issue. They have appealed to Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to personally intervene and address this pressing matter.
Hajin locals demand timely desilting of canals to save crops
