Rainwater has inundated major portions of bajra, guar, cotton, sugarcane and paddy fields in low-lying areas of Rohtak and Sonepat. With the water showing no sign of receding even after a week in Rohtak and two days in Sonepat, farmers are worried that their crops have been destroyed. They have blamed the district administration for not clearing the drains. Dalel Dhaka, a farmer from Sundana village in Rohtak, said he had sown bajra on 13 acres and cotton on four acres. “The heavy rainfall has damaged my crop and 4-5ft water is still logged in my fields. The state government should provide us a suitable compensation so that our expenditures can be borne,” he added. However, the situation worsened in Sonepat as several parts of the district saw flood-like situation after Thursday’s downpour. Another farmer Sunil from Kharkhauda block said he had shifted to cotton and bajra from paddy after getting inspired from Haryana government’s ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ scheme this year and both of his crops were ready for harvesting by the first week of September. “The rain has brought misery to us as the water is still standing in my fields and it is likely to damage nearly 90% of the crop. The exact crop loss will be determined in the next three to four days once the water resides. At one stage, we were very happy to shift to alternative crops instead of paddy and hopeful of getting good profit, but the rain has ruined our plans,” he added. Ashok Kumar, a farmer from Rohtak’s Ritoli village, said paddy on his five acre land is under water for the last six days. “Heavy rainfall was beneficial for the early sowing of paddy, but it damaged the late varieties. Every year, we have to bear losses as water level is high in our area and the government has failed to make any arrangements,” Kumar added. Sonepat deputy director (agriculture) Anil Sehrawat said they were getting complaints of crop losses from Gohana and Kharkhauda farmers. “The exact loss will be accessed once the water is drained out. We have directed agricultural and revenue officials to visit the affected areas,” he added. Source - https://www.hindustantimes.com