Costly machines rust as farmers face water crisis in peak season
Apathy compounds scanty rainfall
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 20 2012: Even as the State farmers are bracing for the worst case scenario due to scanty rainfall in this cultivation period, costly and technically high-performing machines bought by the Government of Manipur are lying unused at the Lamphelpat store campus of Minor Irrigation Department.

These machines include hydraulic-equipped vehicles for testing and drawing out ground waters, pump-sets and pipes, reportedly purchased by the Government of Manipur in between 1988 and 1990 at an estimated cost of Rs 70 lakhs.

When contacted some MI Department personnel informed The Sangai Express that in the initial years of the procurement, the hydraulic machines were actually utilised for soil/water testing and facilitate irrigation system in a few districts.

It is said that with the use of the machines, irrigation facilities in about 10 paddy cultivation sites in Kakching area of Thoubal district were put in place.

A machine gathering dust at the MI godown

Kakching fields are being irrigated with ground water as a supplementary component to the natural and man-made canals, pointed out the personnel while recounting that similar exploration at Imphal East and West district areas did not produce the desired result as only gaseous substances spilled out when ground drilling reached depths of 40-50 feet.

During more soil testing carried out at Bishnupur and Churachandpur district farm-lands the results were comparatively favourable to set-up ground-water irrigation facilities but for reasons not known the machines were not put to use when soil testing was supposed to be carried out at Senapati district, conceded the Department personnel.

Apart from the inexplicable reason also leading to the scrapping of exploring ground water in Tamenglong district, for Ukhrul district steep hill range was cited as technically infeasible for it was assumed that ground-water would be scarce as well as on the ground that the heavy hydraulic machine could not tackle the Ukhrul topography.

With atleast one tractor and a water tanker along with a number of pipes cited as essential components for the hydraulic machines to operate efficiently, the personnel informed that with some repairing the machines, laying unused for over a decade at the store, would still be capable of carrying out its tasks.

While at places with abundant ground-water fixing pipes to the water source is enough for irrigating large tract of fields but at drilling sites with comparatively low pressure ground-water installing hand-pumps is a necessity, explained the Department personnel.

On being approached, MID Chief Engineer M Shyambabu Singh confessed that insufficient budgetary allocation had been crippling the Department from executing its tasks in an efficient manner.

Informing that one of the hydraulic machines has been toyed away for repairing but the same could not be completed due to shortage of fund, the CE also confided that even the workshop owner wants the heavy vehicle evacuated from the workshop site due to space crunch.

Expressing hope that with considerate attitude of authorities concerned the Department could work for the welfare of the farmers, he also informed that for single drilling by the hydraulic machines in a 15-day duration the expenditure runs up to nearly Rs 5 lakhs.

Conveying that the Department has plans to irrigate atleast 2000 hectares of cultivable land with annual minimum target for 20 hectare irrigation during pre-kharif and 30-40 hectare for kharif seasons, Shyambabu also stated that under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme of the Ministry of Water Resources, 678 small dams/canals have been constructed till date.

Moreover, 104 River Lift Irrigation projects have been completed in Manipur, said the Engineer while conceding that with the yearly budgetary allocation of only Rs 270 lakhs the Department could not perform compatibly.