Tura , July 29: The Deputy Commissioner of South West Garo Hills, Hema Nayak on Tuesday conducted an inspection of several ongoing and completed projects under the Water Resources Department.

The DC was accompanied by the Executive Engineer (Water Resources), Ampati, the DC visited the Balughat Multipurpose Reservoir Project and Jhonjona Flow Irrigation Project (FIP), both located near the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The Balughat Reservoir Project, sanctioned under the Meghalaya Water Development Agency (MeWDA) through DWRC and implemented at Balughat Village under Zikzak C&RD Block, was constructed during 2021–2022 and is currently in the final stages of completion. Covering a command area of 66 hectares, the project is expected to benefit 72 farming families from Balughat and Mekdual villages, where paddy is the major crop grown during the kharif season. Around 15 families also cultivate Boro paddy during the rabi season.

During the site visit, the headworks, RCC-lined canals and earthen canals responsible for conveying water to the command area were found to be fully functional and operational.

While interacting with local farmers, DC Hema Nayak encouraged them to consider jute cultivation, pointing out its successful practice on the Bangladesh side of the border, which shares similar soil and climatic conditions. The suggestion was positively received by the farmers. She then directed officials from the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, who were present on-site, to provide technical guidance and inputs to the farmers for adopting jute cultivation.

Additionally, the DC urged the Secretary of the IVCS Balughat to seek support from her office or from the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA)/Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) at Ampati for assistance related to jute cultivation, including post-harvest management and market linkage.

Later, the DC also visited the Jhonjona Flow Irrigation Project, constructed under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) in 2018–19. The project caters to the irrigation needs of 138 families from the villages of Jhonjonagre, Bollongre, Katuligre, and Jangre, all under the Zikzak C&RD Block.

The DC expressed satisfaction with the project’s performance, noting that water was successfully reaching the cultivation fields and the infrastructure was operational.

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