PONDA: Orchards in Ambe-Dabal face the risk of getting submerged as the bank along the Dudhsagar River is caving in due to construction of a bandhara.
Farmers were promised that a safety wall will be built to safeguard orchards but the same remains on paper. The work of installing plates on the bandhara to block the water will begin soon and this is most likely to agitate the orchard owners further.
A footbridge for the convenience of Ambe villagers was built on bandhara and before the construction began, WRD engineers had assured to construct a safety wall to provide protection to the orchards located parallel to the river. Last year, farmers had opposed installing plates on the bandhara to block the water but engineers had somehow managed to convince them. The blocking of water has led to the land erosion on both sides of the river as earth here is fragile. More landmass might cave in if safety walls are not erected soon, the locals said.
“WRD had promised us to build safety walls to protect our orchards. However, the lack of the same has led to river bank caving in. This will widen the river’s basin and submerge orchards. The department has to pay urgent attention to this,” said orchard owner Babay Gaonkar.
“I have looked after my ancestral orchard for the past 45 years. Due to WRD’s mistake, we are on the verge of losing our ancestral inheritance,” said another orchard owner Damodar Dhond.
Meanwhile, a farmer said that the WRD has set up a water pump on a well to supply water to locals of Dabal. If there is no safety wall built near the well either, then the well will be affected due to the erosion.
