WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
DHIRAJ HARMALKAR
CORTALIM: Their future lies submerged under their flooded fields. And it is not the natural rains of the monsoons, which has destroyed their crops, because farmers wait for the monsoons to nourish their crops. Their fields have been destroyed due to the sheer negligence of those in charge of massive construction projects for Goa’s “development”, as these construction projects are called
As farmers stare into fields which have become watery graves for their crops, they lament that the State and its agriculture department which gives subsidies to farmers are so insensitive about the issue, which is visible to all.
Herald visited one of the fields of woe in the Pajentar- Cortalim area, where many Goan farmers have stepped back from cultivating their fields.
Antonio Vaz, president of Cortalim Farmers’ Club and a Zilla Panchayat member said that for many years local farmers are cultivating their fields, but recently when the work on the Zuari Bridge started, the fields from Pajentar area of Cortalim have been getting waterlogged. The old cement pipes which were placed at par with the fields were smoothly releasing the excess water from fields. But now these pipes have been choked and have submerged under clogged water.
He said, he several times made letters to the PWD and other concerned authorities about this issue, but no action has been initiated. I feel if a culvert is built in some places then this could help to release excess rainwater from the fields. But the government needs to address this seriously, all over Goa" he added.
Cortalim Sarpanch Senia Pereira also echoed the same view. She said that the fields getting submerged under rainwater has been happening since the new bridge and road work has started. The fields are getting clogged with water as the cross drains from Pajentar area are choked and they need to be cleared. Secondly, the slurry which got deposited in the periphery of the fields due to the ongoing work of the bridge needs to be cleared.
The sarpanch said that Cortalim MLA Alina Saldhana has been pursuing this matter with the authorities so that farmers get relief. The Cortalim panchayat had written letters to the Zuari bridge projection officials DBL as well as the PWD department. No marks for guessing what their response was. Pereira said that there were many small farmers who have been farming for ages who are now backing out.
Christaline Monteiro, a farmer from Cortalim lamented about a double whammy of misery.
Last season, their paddy seedlings were spoiled due to uneven rainfall. Now traditional drainages which were crucial for excess water to flow out from the fields were not de-silted or blocked due to plastic and waste residuals. She also reiterated that a traditional passage such as a culvert would surely help for clogged water to go away.
Another farmer, Domingo Monteiro pointed out that his farmer's club president (Vaz) helps and encourages them to cultivate their crops, but the government has turned a blind eye towards addressing the issue of rainwater clogging and drainage in the paddy fields
The biggest irony of this all is that that the Goa government, by its negligence has cut the very hands which provide for the state and drowned the hopes of thousands.
