As water begins to recede, Punjab govt, volunteers start growing paddy nursery for affected fields
To mitigate the damage caused by the floods, new paddy and basmati rice nurseries are being cultivated.
3 min read
More than two dozen villages in Jalandhar and 14 villages in Kapurthala have been affected by the floods. (Representational image/Express Photo) With the water level starting to recede in some parts of the flooded areas, and the repair work on the Dhussi Bandh having accelerated, both the volunteers and government officials are now making efforts with farmers to address the damage caused by the heavy rain to the crops and facilitate the re-sowing of paddy in the affected fields.
To mitigate the damage caused by the floods, new paddy and basmati rice nurseries are being cultivated. Surplus nursery plants with farmers are also being procured. These nurseries will facilitate the transplantation of paddy (non-basmati) and Basmati varieties, into the affected fields.
Nearly 25,000 to 30,000 acres of agricultural land have been submerged under 7-8 feet of flood water damaging the recently transplanted paddy and Basmati crops. More than two dozen villages in Jalandhar and 14 villages in Kapurthala have been affected by the floods.
Experts said 25-30-day-old nursery plants can be transplanted in thousands of acres once the flood waters recede. “By the time the water recedes and the fields return to normal puddling conditions, the new nursery will be ready. We have advised farmers in non-affected areas to grow the nursery, as there are several short varieties of paddy that can still be grown and harvested,” said environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal.
If the weather remains favourable, Seechewal, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said farmers will soon begin transplanting paddy in the affected fields.
In Kapurthala district too, efforts are underway to establish nurseries. Deputy Commissioner Captain Karnail Singh said agriculture department has planted Basmati saplings in 20 nurseries to ensure a steady supply to the flood-affected areas for the next crop. These saplings will be ready in the next 20 to 25 days.
Meanwhile, despite the decrease in water flow in the river, which was measured at 57,000 cusecs on Thursday, a foul stench has engulfed the flood-affected region. At the Dussi Bandh breach site, one can observe two different colours of water: yellowish muddy water of the floods and the black water from the river. The river water turns black after Chitti Bein, a rivulet carrying highly polluted discharge of industrial effluents, merges into it.
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