Malkangiri, June 23: Hundreds of acres of fertile agricultural land in Odisha’s Swabhiman region remain uncultivated due to a severe shortage of irrigation water, despite the construction of lift irrigation projects worth lakhs of rupees. Farmers have alleged that the projects, built under the government’s Setu Yojana, have failed to become operational, leaving them dependent solely on monsoon rains.
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for people living in the remote Swabhiman region. However, the absence of reliable irrigation facilities has forced farmers to cultivate only during the rainy season, making year-round farming virtually impossible.
To address the issue, the state government had established lift irrigation projects in various panchayats of the region with the objective of drawing water from nearby rivers and reservoirs and supplying it to agricultural fields. However, locals claim that many of these projects remain non-functional even years after their construction.
Farmers allege that in several areas the work was carried out poorly, with pipelines laid across farmland but no effective arrangements made to deliver water. As a result, vast stretches of cultivable land continue to lie barren, affecting agricultural productivity and rural incomes.
Residents of villages such as Darlabeda and Janturai said the lack of irrigation has become one of their biggest challenges. With no access to water beyond the monsoon season, they are unable to grow multiple crops and are forced to rely on a single harvest each year.
The failure of the irrigation projects has significantly impacted the livelihoods of farming families. Many farmers say the income from one seasonal crop is insufficient to meet household expenses, making it difficult to sustain their families throughout the year.
Local farmers have urged the administration to take immediate steps to make the lift irrigation systems operational and ensure regular water supply to agricultural land. They believe that functional irrigation facilities would not only increase crop production but also improve the economic condition of hundreds of farming households in the region.
Farmers are now looking to the authorities for swift intervention, hoping that the long-pending irrigation projects will finally deliver the benefits for which they were originally intended. Until then, large tracts of farmland in the Swabhiman region continue to remain uncultivated, reflecting the challenges faced by farmers in one of Odisha’s most remote areas.
