MARGAO: When a farmer is getting ready to harvest his crops, he thinks not only about the bountiful yield he will get but also about the potential good seasons ahead of him.
However, in Benaulim, the local farmers are staring at a bleak future with the under-construction Western Bypass crushing their hopes and dreams.
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On Thursday morning (today), Raymond Costa, will be heading into the fields located near the area where the bypass construction is underway, to harvest his black rice crop, an initiative he took on during the Covid pandemic and something he is very proud of.
Raymond comes from a legacy of farmers and continues what his grandparents and his parents used to do, cultivating Jyoti Rice crop variety in another part of his field, along with the black rice.
But unlike previous years, the farmers in Benaulim are already suffering due to the work presently underway to build the Western Bypass via embankments.
These farmers along with other residents of Benaulim have been for long demanding, protesting and running from pillar to post to convince the government to build the bypass on stilts instead, in order to save their fields, the biodiversity and environment, which they believe will be doomed once the bypass is completed via embankments.
For perspective, last year, authorities permitted limited land filling in the low-lying regions earmarked for the upcoming bypass construction. This affected the adjoining fields and the crops were damaged.
“There were so many issues. There was so much dust due to the mud filling. We were finding it difficult to know when the right time was for harvesting as the colour of crops had changed due to this dust,” said Raymond.
He also referred to the problems caused by flooding and heavy water accumulation in the catchment area that made the soil too soggy.
“This was always a catchment area and so there used to be water logging. But it was an open space and there were natural ways for the water to flow out into the river. Now these problems have become bigger as the water does not drain out quickly as the nullahs are getting blocked due to the dumping of mud in the fields,’ Raymond added.
The farmers also recalled the floods witnessed in July of this year and last year where the catchment areas were filled up to the brim and were even spilling onto the roads nearby, leaving the fields submerged.
The box-culverts, which were cited as the solution by the PWD, were also submerged. The farmers pointed out that the size of these culverts which open out into the fields are too small and thus the drainage channels are getting blocked, resulting in water remaining in the catchment area instead of flowing out into the river.
“This year, the filling of mud into the fields has increased tremendously and this has caused additional burden on the farmers. I have already approached the Zonal Agricultural Officer (ZAO) of the Agriculture Department seeking compensation for damage to my crops,” Raymond lamented.
Against this backdrop the farmers are fearing the worst when it comes to picturing what will happen when the bypass work is completed via embankments.
For starters, the road would be at a higher angle compared to their fields, so the issues of water accumulation will only increase.
Secondly, given that the solution still being offered by the PWD of building additional culverts does not satisfy them as they believe these new culverts will meet the same fate as the existing culverts and there will be flooding that will damage their fields again.
In addition, they are also wondering how to deal with logistical challenges that will arise such as bringing in their machinery into the fields etc.
“If the bypass is built this way, it will be very difficult for us to cultivate our fields in the future,” Raymond lamented.
It may be recalled that this issue had come up during the recent Assembly session, but the ruling legislators voted against the proposal for building the bypass on stilts in Benaulim. Since then, the government has expedited the construction work of the bypass and intends to complete the work in the next few months.
The Cana-Benaulim village panchayat is in the process of approaching the High Court to push forward the plea of the locals for the bypass to be constructed on stilts, with a scientific study from a hydrologist backing their plea.
