Margao: What has been feared all along by the beleaguered farmers cultivating the fields at the Tolleaband water body, Benaulim that the drainage proposed by the PWD, NH would not resolve their issues are coming true.
In the last monsoons, the farmers had to contend with reduced yield after a significant portion of the fields were inundated by rain water. The drainage issue has come back to haunt the farmers yet again as they prepare the fields for the current season.
Water pump installed to drain water
Even as trucks load of mud is being dumped into the water body to raise an earthen embankment for the western bypass, a water pump was in operation in the fields, to pump out excess water from the fields into an adjoining water body, with farmers and villagers urging the PWD and WRD officials to inspect the fields and fix the drainage issues. Reason: Farmers pointed out that the existing drainage facility has not helped to drain out the excess water from the fields since the time the earthen embankment has been raised right through the fields to make way for the bypass.
Benaulim farmers cite their woes
Farmer Minguel Fernandes said he has been left with no option than to hire a pump to drain out the water from the fields. “If the excess is not drained out, I will not be able to cultivate the fields. The drainage provided by the PWD, NH is not capable of draining excess water,” he said.
Farmer Raymond D’Costa echoed similar sentiments. He said the PWD, NH had increased the number of culverts in the Tolleaband water body to 10-11 to ensure smooth water drainage, but in vain. “I had to contend with reduced paddy yield in the last season due to excess water in the fields. Though the PWD has put in the culverts, the water does not drain smoothly. There’s a need to widen the culverts of building additional culverts on the Benaulim-Varca road to ensure that the fields cultivated at the Tolleaband water body are not submerged and destroyed by water,” Raymond added.
