All's not lost in State Irrigation Department

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, February 15: All is not well with the state Irrigation Department – yet all is not lost.

Amidst numerous reports of corruption, anomalies and irregularities in the department, there are some works that are worthy of mention done in the department in the past few years. This shows that the sincerity of all officials, including that of engineers, in the department cannot be evaluated with the same yardstick.

Take the case of Tangla subdivision in the department as a case study. As many as 142 minor irrigation schemes have been successfully implemented in the subdivision.

According to executive engineer  Nur Rahman, 41 of the 142 minor irrigation schemes successfully implemented in the subdivision are under the State Government and the remaining 101 are under the BTAD, and some of them have been completed and some are on way of completion.

According Rahman,  while Panchamukhi Minor Irrigation Project waters 435 hectares of cultivable land, Kahibari Minor Irrigation Project waters 988  hectares of land, Paneri Bhutia Pukhuri Irrigation Project waters 620 hectares of  land, Budhura Minor Irrigation Project waters 200 hectares of land, Majuli Irrigation Project waters 205 hectares and Bandorguri Minor Irrigation Project waters 140 hectares of land.

Rahman claims that rice production has shown increase in Khoirabari, Bheragaon, Bhoirobkunda, Demakuchi, Paneri, Harisinga, Majbat, Orang, Kalaigaon, Rowta etc., areas in the past few years. “Some of the irrigation projects have ebled the farmers to get water on time, leading to increase in production and boosting the image of the department,” Rahman said.

According to sources, though the department has the capacity of irrigation 27 lakh hectares of land it irrigates only 8.5 lakh hectares of land. This amply shows that the full irrigation capacity of the department has not been harnessed. Of the 8.5 lakh land covered, 2.63 lakh hectares are covered by major and middle irrigation projects and 5.90 lakh hectares are by minor irrigation projects.

According to sources, 15 major and middle irrigation projects are functioning in the state and five other major and middle irrigation projects are underway. Bordikrai Major Irrigation Project, currently under reconstruction with one-time Central fund, according to sources, irrigates 32,665 hectares of land. Under the AIBP Scheme, sources said, two major projects –  Dhansiri and Champabati – and two middle projects -- Borliya and Buridihing -- are under construction, and under the Asom Vikash Yojo the reconstruction of Rupahi Irrigation Scheme in underway. As many as 473 of the 778 minor irrigation schemes under AIBP schemes have so far been completed covering 1,95,269 hectares of land, sources said.

Likewise, under the Tribal Sub Plan, so far, 97 schemes covering 1,31,040 hectares of land have been completed, sources added.