Khaparkheda farmers demand clean drinking water, kids’ safety

Nagpur: The environment surveillance committee meeting of Khaparkheda coal power plant, which was held after a gap of five months, was attended by a large number of farmers and sarpanchs from the affected villages, who highlighted the polluted water sources as the biggest problem.Slamming plant authorities for the contamination of drinking water sources due to constant ash leakage, farmers demanded immediate repair of the plant’s toe drain. “The leakage does not happen only during rainy season; we are suffering throughout the year since years. Most of the crops get damaged when toxic fly-ash slurry enters our farmlands. Apart from this, ash dust settles on crops and kills them,” said farmers of the affected villages. The worst hit are those farmers who are working at others’ farmlands. “In case of crop damage, the compensation goes to the accounts of owners,” they added.Farmers have been long complaining about receiving delayed and insufficient compensation in case of crop damage. “How will we survive if we get Rs15-20,000 compensation in lieu of year-long crops? Farming is our only livelihood, and we are struggling to make ends meet,” they added.Residents of Suradevi and nearby villages complained that ash dust pollution is posing serious health risk. “Trucks transporting ash do not cover it despite strict norms being in place. These trucks move around during morning hours, when children go to school. Their health is getting severely affected,” Suradevi residents said.With natural sources of drinking water contaminated, villagers were relying on water ATMs. “There is only one ATM for a population of about 600. It was the responsibility of villagers to bear the maintenance expenses of these ATMs,” said Leena Buddhe, founder of Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD).She added that after hearing farmers’ pleas, the plant officials agreed to carry out maintenance work of the water ATMs. On Friday morning, a team of officials along with CFSD ground staffers also carried out spot inspection. “Officials inspected the sites where ash has been leaking and also entering Kolar river. They have assured to come up with a permanent solution to control the contamination of water,” staffers told TOI.TOI could not contact concerned officials of the power plant. However, sources said the plant authorities are focusing on addressing the grievances raised in the meeting.

Banana farmers want crop insurance

Banana farmers in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, are seeking the restart of a crop insurance scheme due to damage caused by September rain. Over 30% of the banana crop in the district has been affected. The state government discontinued the insurance scheme in 2020. The farmers are also requesting the release of compensation and the establishment of a quality check laboratory for seeds. In another article, farmers in Trichy district, Tamil Nadu, are urging officials to release water from canals to save their horticulture crops. Maharashtra is facing a farming crisis, with more insurance policies issued than registered farmers in the state. The government is assessing crop damage caused by pink bollworms in Sriganganagar district, and Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister has announced compensation for affected farmers.

MCC to begin work on water treatment plant

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) is starting the construction of a 125 MLD capacity water treatment plant at Adyar, near Mangaluru. The project aims to mitigate the drinking water crisis during peak summer by providing a 24x7 water supply. The work will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore and will be funded by the Jalasiri Scheme. The new dam at Adyar-Harekala will be commissioned soon, and a bhumi pooja will be held for the water treatment plant.

Farmer lugs goats eating his crop to PS

A farmer in Kanpur lodged a complaint at a police station after goats caused damage to his marigold crop. The farmer, Shailendra Nishad, claimed that the goats had caused a loss of about Rs 25,000 and demanded compensation. The owners of the goats were later summoned to the police station and warned against allowing their goats to roam freely in others' fields. The goats were returned to their owners.

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