Around five villages in Punjab’s Abohar are dealing with subsurface waterlogging, also known as “sem” in the local language. After the monsoons, saline water has surfaced in some areas of these villages, and it is present at a depth of 2-4 feet in large patches where either kinnow or cotton has been cultivated.
The issue is serious in Patti Billa, Dalmirkhera, Sappanwali, Giddranwali, and Daulatpura in Abohar villages. Each of these villages has agricultural land ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 acres, where farmers cultivate cotton and kinnow. This time, they have also attempted to grow paddy. Sappanwali village is a nursery for government-approved kinnow saplings, while Daulatpura has most of its area dedicated to paddy cultivation.
Water was seen at a depth of 8-10 feet about 8-10 years ago, and the level has gradually increased since then. Prem Kumar, a farmer of Patti Billa village, said, “For the past 3-4 years, we have been flagging the issue of the water level gradually rising. This time, the water has come up to the surface in many areas and is just below the surface in others. The saline water is not good for the soil, so we are worried about our ability to grow wheat in the coming season.”
Kumar said many farmers of the area went to meet Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur on Tuesday and gave her a memorandum regarding the issue. It has also raised concerns for the drainage, soil conservation, and agriculture departments, which are working to assess the affected area.
Sandeep Jakhar, suspended Congress MLA from Abohar, said, “Waterlogging is an issue in Southwest Punjab, and many sem nallahs have been made in the Malwa districts to reduce the subsurface water level. However, after this monsoon, many villages are facing the peculiar problem of rising underground water levels, and this needs to be addressed urgently.”
“The soft land in the fields indicates that subsurface water has risen and is seen at 2-3 feet. It can damage the roots of the kinnow plant, and cotton can’t be recovered now,” said Darshan Singh, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rajewal of Fazilka district, who himself is from the Giddranwali village.
When contacted, Jasbir Singh, executive engineer of the drainage department in Fazilka, said, “We are currently assessing the agricultural areas in the villages mentioned above. After the assessment, we will propose a solution. For now, we are using lift pumps to raise water from the fields and discharge it into nearby streams about 8 km away from the villages. In the future, we plan to implement a project involving the installation of perforated underground pipes to allow saline water to flow underground and be directed into pits and then to the streams. We are aware of the problem and are in the process of conducting the assessment.”
Jakhar, however, said, “As we all know, the underground water in southwest Punjab is saline and contains fluoride. Traces of uranium have also been found in many areas of Fazilka villages, making the water unsuitable for drinking and irrigation. It’s a dire situation – water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. I will meet with the drainage and soil conservation department officials on Wednesday to find a quick solution.”
Farmers alleged that the increase in underground water levels in some areas is due to the lack of cleanliness in existing “sem nallahs”. They have also pointed out that this season, heavy rainfall in Abohar, an area near the border of Rajasthan, is a contributing factor that cannot be denied.
The area under cotton in the Fazilka district has decreased to 50 per cent this year. Additionally, many kinnow orchards have been uprooted due to an attack by the plant pathogen phytophthora on the kinnow plants. Some villages have attempted to sow paddy for the first time in certain patches. It remains to be seen whether the paddy crop has also contributed to the rise in underground water level, as observed by the authorities.
The problem exists in many Muktsar villages as well, but farmers are currently occupied with the paddy crop in the area and, therefore, are not raising the issue at the moment, said Jakhar.
He said the unscientific zig-zag construction of the sem nallahs in the area led to a significant rise in the level of underground water. “These nallahs were constructed during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government, starting from the Muktsar area. The then CM Parkash Singh Badal favoured many farmers in his area by altering the design of the nallahs to meet local requirements, causing trouble for those of us located at the tail ends,” said Jakhar.
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