MLA Savita Mahato Intervenes; Three Radial Gates Opened to Drain Submerged Farmland
Key Points:
- Incessant rains raise Chandil Dam level, submerging paddy crops in six villages
- MLA Savita Mahato intervenes; dam authorities open three gates for relief
- Farmers demand crop loss survey and compensation from government
SERAIKELA – Continuous heavy rainfall across the Kolhan region has caused the water level at Chandil Dam to rise sharply, inundating agricultural land across several villages in the Chandil area and damaging hundreds of acres of standing paddy crop.
The worst-affected villages include Kashipur, Lawa, Odia, Anda, Hutu and Kalyanpur. Floodwater from the dam entered the fields, leaving farmers staring at severe losses.
The situation has been particularly distressing because farmers in this region are able to cultivate their land only once a year. Moreover, the kharif paddy crop is their primary source of livelihood during the rainy season, and this time even that crop began going under due to the rising dam waters.
Desperate farmers reached out to Ichagadh MLA Savita Mahato, the district administration and the Chandil Dam management, demanding immediate intervention. They specifically requested that the dam’s radial gates be kept open for 10 to 15 days. In addition, they urged that this step was essential to drain the waterlogged fields and salvage whatever remained of the standing crop.
Taking note of the gravity of the situation, MLA Savita Mahato held discussions with officials of the Chandil Dam and the concerned department. Following her intervention, three gates of the dam were opened. Water from the flooded fields began receding rapidly thereafter, bringing considerable relief to the affected farming community.
Farmers expressed their gratitude to the MLA for her swift action. However, they also pressed the state government and the district administration to conduct a formal survey of the crop damage. They have demanded that affected farmers be paid adequate compensation. A farmer said, “Without compensation for our losses, our financial condition will deteriorate even further.”
Chandil Dam, built on the Subarnarekha river in Seraikela-Kharsawan district, is one of the key reservoirs of the Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project. It provides irrigation support to large tracts of farmland across the Kolhan region. However, during periods of heavy rainfall, rising water levels have historically caused flooding in low-lying agricultural areas downstream and around the reservoir.
The district administration has so far not issued any official statement on compensation. Meanwhile, farmers say they are awaiting a formal crop damage assessment from the Seraikela-Kharsawan district authorities.
