Floods throw farmers on roads in Gangapur

Gangapur (Aurangabad), Aug 14: Flood caused by the backwaters of Godavari river here have not only ruined houses of the villagers in this tehsil but have also washed away their cash crops like cotton and sugarcane, bringing the farmers literally to the roads.

The sources correspondent, who visited Nevargaon, Mhasobawadi and Kanadgaon villages in the flood-affected Gangapur tehsil of Aurangabad district, found the villagers are forced to set up their temporary accomodation in tents erected on roadsides, since their houses in the farms got washed away in floods, along with their household belongings.

The flood-affected people, majority of them farmers and farm labourers, have been staying in school buildings of the village for the past one week, which has been converted into a relief camp.

Though flood waters have completely receded from their farms, the flood-affected farmers are reluctant to return to their places, as a large number of snakes have come out of their holes onto the farms.

''We have seen snakes moving in our houses, not only during the floods but also after waters receded, therefore, we would like to wait for a few more days for things to settle down,'' Leelabai Tukaram Mule, a villager, said.

The flood-affected people have not been provided with potable water and they are forced to drink polluted water from wells..

The authorities have not yet made efforts to purify water even after the floods, complained Chandrabhaga Nivrutti Pawar, a 65-year-old woman.

Nivarutti Pawar, a 72-year-old farmer, who has been living with his family in a house built on their farm for more than 40 years, suffered a major setback due to the floods. His house collapsed and the cotton crop, cultivated by him on two hectares of farmland and on one hectare by his younger brother Balasaheb, was destroyed since it remained in flood waters for over six days.

Another farmer - Somnath Bhaskar Pandure, who had cultivated sugarcane on six hectares land, said there is hardly any chance of his crop surviving as it is standing in four ft water.

Somnath told this reporter that at least 14 quintals of wheat and a few quintals of jowar and rice stored by him in his house has also been washed away in the floods. He and his family members are surviving on the food packets provided by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating there.

Social activist Ramkishore Mundada, a resident of Jamb village, who has been providing food to over 300 flood-affected people in Gangapur tehsil, said the Government machinery is yet to reach the flood-affected in remote areas.

The flood has also exposed the lack of vision of the irrigation authorities, as medium projects like Tembapuri and Sillegaon in the Gangapur tehsil have recorded considerable water storage, but both the dams do not have canals or discharge ways, so that the water can be used either for irrigation or drinking purpose.

The situation of Khojewadi minor irrigation project is also the same and no planning has been made by authorities for the usage of the water, if stored.

Meanwhile, when District Collector Vikas Kharge was apprised with the situation, he admitted that though they had visited a number of flood-hit villages, yet they had not seen first-hand the problems of the villages as mentioned here.

He, however, assured that he will direct the deputy collector to see that the difficulties of villagers are looked into.

When he was told about the people not having proper drinking water supply and they being forced to consume the polluted water from wells, Mr Kharge assured they would provide drinking water there through tankers and also said, all lacunae would be looked into, to make life normal for the people.

UNI