Maha: Topsoil washed off, flood-hit farmers in Hingoli left with craters

Heavy rains in July have brought cheer to Maharashtra, but farmers in Kurunda village in Hingoli district are staring at a zero-yield Kharif season after being hit by massive floods.Not only did they lose the crops they had planted, but the floods also washed away the crucial topsoil from their fields.The swollen Asana river last week also damaged houses in the village, local farmers said.I have a farm of three acres where I had sown soybean.

Heavy rains in July have brought cheer to Maharashtra, but farmers in Kurunda village in Hingoli district are staring at a zero-yield Kharif season after being hit by massive floods.

Not only did they lose the crops they had planted, but the floods also washed away the crucial topsoil from their fields.

The swollen Asana river last week also damaged houses in the village, local farmers said.

''I have a farm of three acres where I had sown soybean. But it was completely washed off. The fertile layer of soil has gone,'' said farmer Shreeram Ingole.

The floods left behind big craters in his fields. ''I don't expect a single rupee's worth of yield this kharif season. I will have to undertake massive repairs of the farm before sowing anything anew. That would be possible only after the monsoon,'' he added. Raju Ingole, the village sarpanch, said a lot of houses have suffered damage due to the floods.

''I had planted soybean and turmeric in eight acres. But everything was washed off,'' he said.

The government has not conducted any survey of the losses suffered by the farmers in the area so far, Ingole added.