BHADRAK: After a devastating flood, the spectre of drought looms large over Bhadrak district with paddy crops in thousands of acres being damaged for want of water. The affected farmers have demanded immediate government intervention.There has been no rain in the area for the last 15 days and the canals have dried up affecting paddy crop over more than 50,000 acres in Bhadrak, Dhamnagar, Tihidi, Chandabali, Bhandaripokhari, Bont and Basudevpur blocks.“After the floods we were expecting at least 50 per cent yield. But now with no water, the future seems bleak. Paddy crops that were damaged in flood need water immediately,” said Naami panchayat Sarpanch Jagannath Jena. Demanding water, hundreds of farmers led by District Congress Committee (DCC) president Badri Narayan Dhal blocked NH-5 at Akhuapada on Tuesday. The agitators were pacified after the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Water Resources Department assured them to provide water in 24 hours.Dhal said crops in at least 14,000 ha in Bhandaripokhari block need water immediately for proper growth. “The monsoon withdrawal has scared the farmers. Only a low pressure can bring rain now,” he said. There were also reports of road blockade from Bont and Bhadrak blocks. While the farmers in Bont blocked Bhadrak-Anandapur road and staged a dharna at Bont block office, the peasants from 20 villages in Bhadrak block staged a road blockade on Aradi-Bhadrak road. The farmers have threatened to intensify their agitation if they do not get water either through canals or lift irrigation facilities. Sources said 4,42,066 people in 443 villages under 94 panchayats in six blocks of the district were affected in the recent flood.
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