Mungantiwar seeks river water for rabi irrigation in Chandrapur amid drought

MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has asked the district administration to ensure that farmers in Chandrapur district get water for their rabi crop. He has written to Chandrapur Collector Vasumana Pant, asking that water available in the river area be allowed to be used for irrigation.

The letter makes a second demand. A norm of 500 metres from a public water supply area is causing difficulty for farmers who have borewells, and he has asked that they be given the necessary concessions under the rules in force. Mungantiwar says rainfall has been erratic, and getting water to rabi crops is the main purpose of the demand.

Mungantiwar said the drought crisis is deepening. In such a situation, he said, farmers' hard work should get the support of water, and rabi-season crops should not dry up for want of irrigation. According to him, the thinking behind the demand is that farming built on farmers' sweat should have water as its base and that farmers' financial difficulties should not worsen further because of drought.

Erratic rain and drought-like conditions have made it a big challenge for farmers in Chandrapur district to raise a rabi crop. Having borne the difficulties of the kharif season, farmers are now looking to rabi with hope. If they do not get water for irrigation, their financial crisis could grow. Mungantiwar stressed that river water is flowing away on one side while crops face a crisis for lack of irrigation on the other. Available water sources should therefore be used thoughtfully and with planning, he said.

Mungantiwar has demanded that the necessary administrative process be simplified while giving river water for rabi irrigation. He also wants farmers to get permission to lift water on time. He has also written in the letter that cases of farmers who have borewells on their land and are troubled by the 500-metre norm should be considered sympathetically, and necessary concessions given within the rules in force.

The letter also says that, while giving river water for irrigation, a balance should be kept among the need for public drinking water, the condition of reservoirs and the groundwater level. The Water Resources Department, the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency and the concerned water supply agencies have been asked to coordinate and take the steps needed to resolve farmers' problems.

Mungantiwar has placed several demands before the government earlier on farmers' issues. He has consistently raised a bonus for paddy growers, procurement centres for buying farm produce at the minimum support price, uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pumps, and necessary help for farmers during natural disasters. By raising the question of rabi-season irrigation, he has now drawn the administration's attention to farmers' difficulties.

In the letter, Mungantiwar has expressed hope that the administration will decide on the matter with sensitivity and promptly. He says that in this difficult time of drought, farmers need not just assurances but timely water and firm administrative decisions. With the rabi season already under way, he has urged the district administration to appreciate the seriousness of the demand, take a positive decision and direct the concerned officials to act immediately.