Farmers’ protest brings water to chambal canals after 2 decades

Farmers’ protest brings water to chambal canals after 2 decades

Following a fortnight-long padaav (stay) by farmers in front of the Chambal Command Area Development office in Kota, water was released after two decades into the dried-up irrigation canals between Gandhi Sagar Dam and Kota Barrage earlier this week. Irrigation water from the Chambal River will facilitate sowing of traditional kharif crops, including rice, soybean, and sugarcane, in Kota and Bundi districts.

The farmers’ agitation, led by Hadoti Kisan Union, highlighted the agrarian crisis caused by the lack of water supply in the canals, which had affected over 700 villages in eight panchayat samitis of the region. Agricultural production in the command area, measuring 2.29 lakh hectares, was earlier valued at an estimated ₹10,000 crore annually, when water was supplied through the canals during the two main rabi and kharif crop seasons.

Farm production reduced significantly in the years after 2001, when the water supply was stopped for some technical reasons. Rajasthan’s only agriculture-based cooperative sugar mill, set up in 1970 and situated at Keshoraipatan in Kota district, also went defunct in 2004 because of financial losses, affecting the livelihood of sugarcane farmers and agricultural labourers.

Farmers of the Hadoti region were mobilised on these issues for the agitation, during which several farmer leaders observed a hunger strike. Hadoti Kisan Union’s general secretary Dashrath Kumar told The Hindu that the release of water, starting from the Left Main Canal for Bundi and Kapren, would help revive agricultural activities earlier carried out with ground water and rain water.

“The total losses incurred by farmers during the last 20 years are estimated at ₹80,000 crore. The agrarian crisis was aggravated by crop losses and debt burden, because of which a large number of farmers left their traditional vocation and migrated to the cities in search of livelihood,” Mr. Kumar said.

‘Rivers were drying up’

Farmer leader from Bharatpur, Mohan Singh Gujjar, said rivers like Banganga, Gambhir and Ruparel in eastern Rajasthan were gradually drying up, while Chambal River water was flowing into the sea. “The Chambal waters from the Kota Barrage were denied to the command area’s farmers without any justification. The authorities have finally accepted the farmers’ demand, which will help revive irrigation of crops,” he said.

The Kota Barrage is situated upstream of Kota city. Water released after power generation at Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam was earlier diverted by the Kota Barrage for irrigation in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh through canals on the left and the right sides of the Chambal River.

Mr. Kumar said the farmers of the Hadoti region were mobilised on the issues crucial for them during the padaav, and a political leadership would emerge among them in future to protect their interests. The gates of the canals were opened after an announcement was made by Kota Divisional Commissioner Pratibha Singh.

Farmers in the region began the cultivation of garlic, a labour-intensive crop, after 2012. It gave profits in the initial years, but its uncontrolled production has led to a price crash during the recent years. The Hadoti region, comprising Kota, Baran, Bundi and Jhalawar districts, has also benefited from the Congress government’s loan waiver scheme after 2018.

Demand to reopen mill

Farmers have also stepped up the demand for restarting the cooperative sugar mill and granting national project status to the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.

Mr. Kumar said the farmers would now be in a position to undertake profitable cultivation of sugarcane with the availability of water and it could be supplied to the mill. The sugar mill had a crushing capacity of 1,250 metric tonnes per day at the time of its closure.