Disaster pours down on Murbad farmers

September 29: A Hanuman temple at Kolthan village, Murbad taluka, Thane district, is one of the last outposts of hope for the local farme...

September 29: A Hanuman temple at Kolthan village, Murbad taluka, Thane district, is one of the last outposts of hope for the local farmers. The September 17 deluge which buried parts of Thane district under water also showered doom on the farmers, who lost their crop. Now, even as they wait for compensation, the farmers have resorted to invoking the Almighty.

Nako devraya anth atha pahoo pran ha sarvatha javu pahe (O Lord, don’t forsake me in this hour of need). But the abhang fails to soothe Paloo Babloo Aghivile, a 55-year-old paddy cultivator from Kolthan. “The tension of repaying accumulated debts refuses to go away, no matter how I try to divert my mind,” he says. After the family ran up a Rs 10,000 debt on account of his daughter’s marriage, Aghivile was looking forward to this monsoon. “We were initially happy with the rains, and expected a better harvest,” he said. Added his son Dharma (35): “We thought we would not only be able to repay this debt but also manage to make somemoney to repair the house, which is leaking in several places.” The tiny thatched hut of this 12-member family leaks everywhere except for the spot for the cattle.

But the downpour washed away all Aghivile’s hopes. “It rained between September 15 and 17 like it never had for as long as I can remember,”, he recalled. “It was like the skies would never relent, and our fields were flooded.” A normal monsoon would mean a yield which would net the family Rs 12,000 to 15,000. Instead, the family is now staring debt in the face.

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The entire taluka is nestled in the foothills of Malshej Ghat and is a riverine area – the Kalu, Doiphode and Kanikera rivers flow through it – with rich alluvial soil. This prompted the farmers to till the land on the riverbanks. And proved their undoing as well, as the rivers swelled and flooded the fields. “The crops were submerged for well over two and a half days,” said Kisan Dhondu Gondhlae (43), from the neighbouring Manivili village.

The local MLA Digamabr Vishe hasdemanded that the government declare the taluka wet-drought hit. “The government should undertake repairs of the extensive damage caused to the bunds under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS),” he said, adding “This will not only provide the farmers an alternative source of income, but also undo part of the damage caused.”

The district administration has been sluggish in awarding compensation. “We are seriously understaffed, and the technical staff are busy at Palghar, which was also badly hit,” claimed Shrikant Singh, district collector, who informed that Murbad was `next’ on the iternary. “Once the extent of damage is assesed, we will be able to compensate the farmers.” This will include steps like exemption from land revenue and actual payment of compensation. The area will be declared as wet-drought hit in November after asessing the area’s productiviity . “If it is established that an area has produced less than 50 quintals per hectare due to water-logging, then it will be declaredwet-drought hit,” he informed.

The farmers and their families now turn to religion for succour. “We are invoking all dieties for we fear that the floods are a result of our past sins,” said Ganpat Wagh (35), who, with his wife, has decided to fast for the whole of Navratri without a drop of water. “Only God can help us now,’, he said.