Haryana’s Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana, instructed agriculture officers to develop a detailed plan to address the issues of waterlogging and saline land in the state, assuring that there would be no budget constraints for supporting farmers.
Minister Shyam Singh Rana chaired a meeting with officials from the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department today, where he reviewed the ongoing efforts to improve waterlogged and saline lands. The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Sh. Raja Shekhar Vundru, Director Sh. Rajnarayan Kaushik, and other senior officials.
The Agriculture Minister emphasized that field officials, being in direct contact with farmers, should collaborate with them to suggest practical solutions for resolving waterlogging and saline land issues promptly. He encouraged officials to promote prawn farming in panchayat lands affected by waterlogging, as creating ponds could help utilize saline water and provide additional income to the panchayats. Sh. Rana also urged officials to consider a district-specific plan to tackle waterlogged land and recommended draining excess water in areas facing severe issues.
Officials reported that 686 villages across 13 districts in the state are affected by waterlogging, with approximately 8% of the state’s agricultural land (9,82,731 acres) impacted. Currently, Sirsa and Gurugram districts have been declared waterlogging-free, and Fatehabad is expected to follow suit by the end of this year.
Officials also shared that the Sub Surface Drainage and Vertical Drainage Techniques are being used to eliminate sediments and salts from the land. Additionally, under the biological drainage scheme, these techniques are enhanced by planting water-absorbing trees like Safeda.