Brundaban Panda, a small farmer from village Dokhandapur of Sukal panchayat of Satyabadi block in Puri district, had invested Rs 1,040 to sow paddy in his field of two acres in the year 2011. However the yield was not enough even to meet the seed needs for the next season. The land lacked irrigation facilities, and using bore-wells in this coastal area bordering the Chilika lake only yields saline water which destroys the fertility of the soil.
In the year 1983, the local administration had dug a canal, named Khabar Nala, which provided water for the agricultural fields that would benefit 200 farmers. Very soon, the canal was choked with debris and water hyacinth that infested the water bodies of the locality after the 1982 floods. It turned into a stinking hole infested by rotting weeds, snakes, scorpions and other pests. Migrant birds made the canal home to their yearly sojourns and also pecked the grains from paddy fields, further disturbing the farmers. Repeated pleas to the administration to restore the canal by renovating it received no response. The farmers were left with no option but to abandon their fields and seek employment as labourers or migrate outside in search of jobs.
In 2012, a UNDP-assisted project called Prayas implemented by local NGOs RCDC and Swad sought to solve the problems caused by waterlogging and disruption of agriculture due to climate change impacts. It was observed that renovating the Khabar Nala would help ease both the problems. Accordingly, the villagers were united under the forum of the Gram Prayas Committee, and the community members decided to renovate the canal by their own efforts.
Soon, the entire 11-km length of the canal was renovated. Thanks to the efforts of farmers belonging to villages Dokhandapur, Dakhinakera and Banbarada, not only was the canal freed from the rotten debris and snakes, a total of 1,700 acres of land could come under cultivation. Brundaban could cultivate 48 bags of grain from his land of two acres after the canal was renovated. Kunja Bihari Sahu from the same village could increase his yield from 25 bags to 100. The farmers were delighted to again return to their fields and see them turn green and fertile.
Unfortunately, the canal was again choked with water hyacinth. Officials of UNDP, RCDC and Swad decided to interfere even as the first phase of the project was ever. The farmers were again organised, and they decided to once again get to work. Within am single day, they cleared 4 km of the canal and hope to complete the work in three days.
The farmers of the area, who were earlier disheartened with the prospect of losing their ancestral livelihood, have realised that the most adverse of circumstances can be overcome if they come together and solve their,problems with united efforts.