Amritsar, Sept. 13: In the flood-ravaged villages along the Ravi, farmers say they no longer recognize their own land. Field boundaries that once marked generations of toil have been erased, while vast stretches now lie buried under silt as deep as five feet. With the wheat-sowing season only six weeks away, uncertainty hangs heavy.
“We have already lost our paddy crop. We fear we will not be able to sow wheat too,” said Harpinder Singh of Nangal Sohal. Standing water and broken roads, he added, make the situation worse. “It will take at least three to four weeks for the silt to dry, and only then can tractors move in.”
For small farmers, the devastation is unbearable. Surjit Singh of Ghonewal, who owns a single acre, said he has not been able to step into his field. “At present, I do not have the heart to visit my field. My neighbours told me there is a 40 to 45-foot-deep crater in it,” he said quietly.
Across the district, the landscape is scarred in uneven ways. While some fields have been gouged out by craters, others are covered with layers of silt. Preet Singh, another farmer, said even villages away from the river belt have not been spared. “Six to 10 inches of silt can be seen in most fields. And water is still flowing, which means more will be deposited,” he noted.
Even after clearing the deposits, farmers face the problem of identity. With landmarks erased, land will require fresh nishandehi—the demarcation of boundaries—before owners can reclaim what belongs to them.
The government has permitted farmers to sell the sand collected on their fields, but many say this is an impractical remedy. Joginder Singh, a marginal farmer, said the scheme brings little relief. “It requires huge resources. The permission is only till November 15. Where will we store this sand, and who will buy it? In the end, those already in the sand business will purchase it from us at throwaway prices.”
For farmers in Amritsar, the crisis is no longer just about crops but about survival itself. Their once-fertile land, symbols of resilience and sustenance, now resembles wasteland. Yet with sowing season closing in, they know they must fight against silt, time, and uncertainty to reclaim both their livelihood and their land.
