Gosikhurd waters turning village into a swamp
Shishir Arya | TNN | Feb 1, 2019, 03:41 ISTNagpur: Residents from Gosibhurj village, over 90km from the city in Bhandara district, had come to Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation’s (VIDC) office on Wednesday demanding their village be relocated.
Located near the Gosikhurd dam, it is not included in the original land acquisition plan. However, being close to the dam is fast turning the village into a marsh, claim the villagers. The officer concerned at VIDC told the delegation the site will have to be inspected before a final decision is taken. These days VIDC is flooded with demands of land acquisition by locals.
Reshmi Dongre, sarpanch of Gosibhurj, said they had first gone to chief minister’s secretariat from where they were sent to VIDC office. “Not only the soil in fields is wet but moisture is felt even indoors,” she said.
“The entire village is infested with insects and snakes due to water logging and it stinks all over. It is difficult to even have meals in the night. We have to switch off lights while eating to avoid insects. Water logging has also led to sanitation problems and many have fallen ill,” said Dongre.
The dam’s gate is around 2.5 kms from the village and a buffer wall to prevent water flowing into the village is about 30 metres from the first house of the village. This year the water level was increased, which hiked the groundwater level too, said the Sudhir Gajbhiye, a villager.
“Now the fields are moist for the entire year. Soil also needs to be dry for the crop to grow. This has hampered agriculture. This is the first year and it would be worse in the coming days if the same water level is maintained,” he said.
A source said topography can change with time and ground level may have gone down around the village.
A senior official in VIDC said the issue will have to be examined. There may be some issue with the drainage system from the dam. These days a number of proposals for land acquisition are coming up from the villages, may be because of the compensation involved, he added.
Located near the Gosikhurd dam, it is not included in the original land acquisition plan. However, being close to the dam is fast turning the village into a marsh, claim the villagers. The officer concerned at VIDC told the delegation the site will have to be inspected before a final decision is taken. These days VIDC is flooded with demands of land acquisition by locals.
Reshmi Dongre, sarpanch of Gosibhurj, said they had first gone to chief minister’s secretariat from where they were sent to VIDC office. “Not only the soil in fields is wet but moisture is felt even indoors,” she said.
“The entire village is infested with insects and snakes due to water logging and it stinks all over. It is difficult to even have meals in the night. We have to switch off lights while eating to avoid insects. Water logging has also led to sanitation problems and many have fallen ill,” said Dongre.
The dam’s gate is around 2.5 kms from the village and a buffer wall to prevent water flowing into the village is about 30 metres from the first house of the village. This year the water level was increased, which hiked the groundwater level too, said the Sudhir Gajbhiye, a villager.
“Now the fields are moist for the entire year. Soil also needs to be dry for the crop to grow. This has hampered agriculture. This is the first year and it would be worse in the coming days if the same water level is maintained,” he said.
A source said topography can change with time and ground level may have gone down around the village.
A senior official in VIDC said the issue will have to be examined. There may be some issue with the drainage system from the dam. These days a number of proposals for land acquisition are coming up from the villages, may be because of the compensation involved, he added.
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