Farmers in MP face crop failure every year due to climate change

Rameshwar Kewat, who cultivates 5 acres of land, uproots the soybean plant from his fields and shows that only the leaves are green, sir, the pod has got spoiled due to soil, and now it will not bear fruit. We had also sown Sesame (Tilli), Moong, and Maize but that too got ruined in the flood waters.

On August 16, after heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh, the gates of the Kolar, Tawa, and Bargi dams had to be opened, due to which the water level of the Narmada river suddenly increased.

Water entered 15 villages situated along the Narmada river, causing heavy damage to crops in Neelkanth, Chhidgaon Kachhi, and Satdev villages near Narsullaganj. For many farmers, 100% of the crop has been damaged due to waterlogging in the fields for 48 hours. Here the soybean and maize crops of the farmers have suffered more.

Santosh Verma, sarpanch of Neelkanth village, says that SDM Sahib had warned the villagers two days ago about the rise in the water level of Narmada, in this he ordered to release the livestock in the low-lying fields. Large numbers of cattle were released, as a result of which farmers whose crops could have survived the flood, were spoiled by cattle grazing.

Sarpanch says that it is necessary to conduct a survey of crops at the ground level so that farmers can get proper compensation. Soybean appears green when viewed from above, but the flood water remained in the fields for 2 days, due to which soybean plants have been damaged from below, and soybean beans have completely rotted due to soil.

Neelkanth village is situated on the banks of Narmada, their crops get ruined every year in the rain. Hariprasad Kewat of Neelkanth village says that it is a matter of luck to harvest Kharif crop safely. They plant soybeans every year thinking that if the water level of Narmada does not increase, then the crop will be fine. For the last 3-4 years, their Kharif crop is getting ruined because of climate change.

Dhanlal says "he chooses the seeds on his own, the government does not help with seeds that can withstand the weather. Last year the soybean crop was bad, so this year corn was sown but now that too got spoiled. Can't do anything other than farming, there are no other means of employment here."

Farmer Hariprasad Kewat says "The government is not giving jobs to the educated people, from where will it give employment to the illiterate farmers like us? The inflation is so high that it is becoming difficult to take care of the children."

Neelkanth village is situated on the banks of river Narmada at a distance of 10 km from Narsullaganj town of Sehore district. The flood waters here have destroyed the crops of the farmers. Farmers want that the government should survey their fields as soon as possible and announce compensation so that their problems can be reduced a little.

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