Washim, August 29: A troubling situation has emerged in Mohja village, Washim district of Maharashtra, highlighting the struggles faced by local farmers. Due to the closure of access routes to their fields, farmers have been compelled to spend ₹40,000 on a boat to reach their own land.
Currently, farmers are navigating through waterlogged areas to tend to their crops. One farmer, who manages four acres of turmeric, risks his safety daily as he crosses the water to care for his plants.
Farmers allege that an alternative route to their fields has been blocked by another landowner, completely cutting off access. With no way for tractors, bullock carts, or bikes to reach the fields, the boat has become their only option.
Despite repeated appeals to local authorities over the past year, including formal applications and complaints, no solution has been provided. The rising water levels during the rainy season have only exacerbated the situation.
Farmer Subhash Sarnayak stated, “We had to buy a boat to access our fields. There is no other way. Water surrounds our land on all sides. Previously, another farmer allowed us to pass through his field, but he has now refused. We have been requesting the administration for a solution for 12 months, but they keep postponing.”
Another farmer, Bhagwat Sarnayak, shared, “I have five acres of land, two and a half of which are submerged. My turmeric crop is on the other side of the dam, but there is no way to reach it. The old route has been lost to the dam. We have been using this dam for transportation, but with the increased water levels, we had no choice but to buy a boat. We spent ₹40,000 on it, and we don’t even know how to operate it. But we had to do this to save our turmeric crop.”
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