‘Drowning in farm ponds a rising concern in rural Pune’

Pune: The drowning of an 18-year-old youth in a farm pond in Junnar tehsil last week has highlighted safety concerns regarding artificial water bodies in the district.Altogether five people, including four children, drowned in farm ponds last month.

Officials from the district agriculture office said that the farmers do not construct compound walls or protection nets around such ponds, resulting in accidents. According to officials, there are about 25,000 such ponds across 13 tehsils in the district. Sanjay Kachole, the district agriculture officer, told TOI, “We have issued an advisory to farmers at the tehsil level to take necessary safety measures to prevent any tragedy at the ponds. It has become a concern for us as the number of ponds rises yearly.”Farm ponds have become an effective ‘protective irrigation’ option for farmers, particularly in rain shadow regions, where natural water sources are scant. Each pond is around 10 ft deep and has polythene sheets below. As such, animals or children who fall into them fail to swim and drown. Most of the recent deaths involved children who went for a swim in these ponds.On May 24, four children, including three girls, drowned in a farm pond at Nirgudsar village of Ambegaon taluka.The deceased were Shradhha Kalu Navale (13), her sister Sayali (11), Deepak Madhe (7) and Radhika Kedari (14). Their parents are farm workers and were not at home when the kids decided to venture into the pond, said the Pune rural police. “After inspecting the spot and discussing with farmers, we have understood that coming out of such ponds is difficult for children or animals as they fail to get a grip due to the polythene sheet,” said a senior police official of rural police. “Thus, it is necessary to have at least a string attached to one or two ends of the pond as a safety measure. There is no scope for animals to come out of the pond. We have asked farmers to take measures in the tehsil,” added the officer.These ponds are usually constructed on isolated farms. So, people come to know about it late. In this case, also, the children did not get help/aid on time, said the police.A senior agriculture officer told TOI, “The government, in its advisory, has categorically told farmers to have safety nets around such ponds. However, many do not pay heed to it. As a result, drowning incidents in farm ponds are on the rise.” Junnar-based Sahyadri Giribramhan Sanstha has been pursuing the matter with the state commissioner for the last two years. Rahul Joshi, the Sanstha president, said, “The government needs to work proactively and create awareness among farmers in the state on the issue. They need to initiate action against violators. Otherwise, it would be difficult to thwart such tragedies in the state.”