Divar ryots in a fix as rising water hits crops

Panaji: A dozen labourers were working hard to plug the 20-metre breach in Amboi bundh on the Mandovi river at Malar, Divar, as farmers complained of a higher surge in floodwater levels that damaged a bigger area of their vegetable crop on Saturday.
The restoration of the breached area can only be carried out for a few hours at low tide. The labourers excavate the mud from the river and dump it in the breached portion and protect it with bamboo stakes.
But the farmers are unhappy about the pace of the work, as they fear that the rest of the weak bundh may collapse.The sluice gate that regulates the flow of water into the inland waterbodies has also been affected and farmers fear that it also may be washed away.
“The water entered fields at a higher level on Saturday and caused more damage to the crops raised by the farmers,” Vidhya Harvalkar, a local farmer, said.
Work is being carried out using mud that is available at the site, but scooping it up and filling the breaches is slow work. “The tenants’ association needs to put more workers to restore the bundh and finish the task at hand quickly before more damage is done,” Harvalkar said.
But some farmers do not rule out sabotage. “The authorities need to investigate through an independent agency as to how the breach occurred without any cracks or other signs of collapse. This was the best protected bundh in the area,” Prasad Harmalkar, a local panch and farmer, said.
Divar island, which also comprises Malar village, is facing the threat of a weakened bundh network, as some stretches on the Old Goa side already have a few breaches, resulting in submergence of vast areas of fields.
The Amboi tenants association is gearing up to expedite the work.
“The labourers have filled 500 bags of mud and brought other material to the site. Around 30 labourers will be deployed to complete the work in a few days,” Premdas Rawal, chairman of the association, said.