Sarlahi. In the absence of a well-managed canal in Balara of Sarlahi, the barrage constructed at a large cost of a lot of money has not been operational even after three decades.

The irrigation barrage constructed at Sudama, the border of Balara Municipality-10 and Ramnagar Rural Municipality-1, has been in limbo for the last 31 years. The barrage was constructed in 1996 on the Ekadashi River, which flows throughout the year. The barrage, which was constructed with the aim of providing irrigation facilities to the agricultural land of more than a dozen VDCs including Sudama, Chhotul, Achalgad, Balara Arnah, Mirzapur, Chhatauna, Khearwa, Ramnagar Bahuarwa and others, has remained in limbo without being used.

The barrage was constructed at a cost of Rs 60 million. Farmers are forced to depend on rainwater as there is no reliable irrigation facility in this area. Shankar Sah, a farmer of Balara Municipality-5, Mirzapur, complained that hundreds of bighas of arable land in the area are inundated due to rains and turning into ruins in winter. “There is a canal connected to the barrage,” he said, adding, “It is also in disarray.” ”

The water coming from the canal becomes uncontrollable during the rainy season and reaches the fields of some farmers near the barrage. He complains that the farmers of the rest of the area are relying on pumpsets and electric motors.

According to him, the farming done in this way is wasted due to adverse weather. The place where the barrage was constructed is in the southwestern part of the district. According to the local people’s representatives, irrigation has not been done in the northern part of Ramnagar Rural Municipality.

“The land here is a thorn in the side,” said Rajababu Yadav, chairman of Ramnagar Rural Municipality, adding, “Initially, it seems that the barrage was constructed for the present Ramnagar and Balara. It was not suitable for the farmers of Ramnagar as it was located at the wrong place. The water from the barrage does not come to the north. Therefore, we are constructing a dam in the upper part of the river to provide irrigation facilities.” ”

Mayor Ramashankar Prasad Kushwaha said that if the canal is constructed and managed properly, it will provide irrigation facility to all the cultivable land of the existing Balara Municipality. He said that the problem is due to the fact that the barrage itself is in limbo. He admitted that the protection of the barrage has become dilapidated as no one has taken ownership of it. He said that after he became the mayor, he allocated budget and carried out general maintenance of the barrage.

The municipality had allocated a budget for the repair and beautification of the barrage in the budget of the last fiscal year. He said that the policy has been taken to develop the barrage and park as a tourist spot. Mayor Kushwaha said that the plan for the construction of the canal has been submitted along with the management of the federal and provincial governments. The state and federal government had allocated a budget of Rs 50 million for the barrage in the last fiscal year. He said that the work was not completed on time.

Mayor Kushwaha said that preparations have been made to construct the canal from the budget of Rs 20 million this year. He claimed that he has repeatedly requested the state and federal governments for the management of the barrage. However, he said that no process has moved forward so far. He said that it is unfortunate that the barrage could not be used even though a large area is irrigated.

Local farmers allege that the municipality has returned the budget allocated for the convenience of the farmers without any work. Gagandev Singh, a local farmer, complained that the river flows near the farm throughout the year, but they are compelled to use diesel motors at an expensive price. He accused the municipality of managing an irrigation barrage and spending money on the construction of the park instead of supplying water to the farmers’ fields.

The local farmers are demanding that the barrage should be repaired and irrigation facilities should be provided with the provision of concrete canals. They say that the situation of farmers not getting facilities and wasting a huge investment of the state should end.