Dharmagarh/Koksara:Sufficient water is said to be unavailable for farmlands at the tail end of Indravati multi-purpose project in Koksara and Dharmgarh blocks in Kalahandi district.
This and other issues like choked canals and botched up restoration work came up for discussion during observation of pani panchayats fortnight in which farmers, engineers and staff of lift and minor irrigation departments and various pani panchayats participated.
Similarly, farmers affiliated to various pani panchayats in Koksara alleged that due to lack of canal repairs, their farmlands have been deprived of water from the Indravati left canal.
“Canal restoration work is not carried out properly and some work has been halted while some canals were choked with silt.
They need to be dredged out.
Due to choked canals, water does not reach the tail end areas.
The farmers at the end of the canal system have to suffer for lack of water,” the farmers said.
They also said that some projects have been executed by pani panchayats, but pani panchayat committees have not been provided utilisation certificates (UCs) by the authorities concerned.
Members of many pani panchayats demanded that all works should be executed under pani panchayats in the larger interests of the farm sector in the area.
The government will be apprised of the issues and demands of pani panchayats, he added.