Flood-hit people struggling to rebuild their homes, farmers worried over silt in fields in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur: Many families in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, who returned to their villages after floodwaters receded, are still struggling to restore their damaged homes while farmers are finding it difficult to sow crop due to accumulation of silt in their fields.

Manjit Singh (54), a resident of Rara village, said his family returned home on September 8 after spending more than two weeks under tarpaulin sheets on tractor-trolleys near a bridge on the Tanda-Sri Hargobindpur road.

"Our house and the surrounding areas are full of mud, the walls have cracked, while crops have also been destroyed (by the floods). We somehow made the house livable but the roofs are weak and covered with tarpaulin sheets to prevent seepage during rain. Our fields are still submerged. The real test begins now," he said, expressing hope to get government assistance.

Charanjit Singh, the husband of the sarpanch of Rara village, said 40 out of 60 acres of his land have been badly hit by the floods.

"Twelve acres have been completely washed away, while in 28 acres, mostly under sugarcane, thick layers of silt and mud have deposited up to three to four feet. Many others in the village have also lost about 50-“60 acres of land to erosion.

"It will take at least two years to clear the fields. Even during the 2023 floods, some fields were covered with silt, which the farmers have not been able to restore till now. Now our land has been buried again," he said.

He added that around 8-“10 kutcha houses in the village have collapsed, forcing many affected families to still live under tarpaulins.

"The silt left behind is not sandy soil but heavy mud that will take months to dry before they can be removed. The Rabi crop cannot be sown in such a condition," he pointed out.

Referring to the Punjab government's new policy 'Jisda Khet, Usdi Ret', Charanjit Singh said once the mud dries, it becomes extremely difficult to find buyers willing to lift the dry silt.

"Only after it dries will we know whether it can be sold for use as filling material in places where such earth is needed," he said, adding that such silt has been deposited in around 200 acres of land in his village.

He also said that revenue and other government officials recently visited the village to assess the damage.

"So far, only the family of one person who drowned in the floods has received Rs 4 lakh as compensation," he said.

At Mehtabpur village in the Mukerian subdivision, sarpanch Manjinder Singh said, "Nearly 1,000 acres of farmland are filled with silt and mud, while some portions have been eroded. In some fields, two to six feet of silt has accumulated.

"In my own eight acres of land, up to two feet of mud has settled while in some parts the river has changed course and water is flowing through the land. I fear my land will soon be lost to the river." He also complained about the slow pace of work in plugging the breaches in the embankments.

"The contractor is dumping soil where it is not urgently needed, while ignoring the vulnerable points. The work is still far from complete," he alleged.

Ranjodh Singh, another resident of Mehtabpur, said his 25-acre farmland in nearby Mushaibpur village has been completely damaged.

"Four to six feet of silt has settled, while gravel and stones have also spread in the fields. At present, even reaching the fields is difficult, forget about removing the deposits. This is not sandy soil but thick silt that will take months to dry. Until then nothing can be removed, so we cannot sow Rabi crop this season," he lamented.

Daljit Kaur, a resident of Gandhowal village, said her house collapsed after floodwater weakened its foundation.

"I somehow managed to save some of our belongings and shifted to Sri Hargobindpur, where I am living in a rented room with my three children. Most of our household items were destroyed by water. We are now awaiting government assistance to rebuild our home," she said.

With thousands of acres buried under heavy silt and dozens of homes damaged, the villagers said the coming weeks will test their resilience as they await relief and compensation.