While the political conversation in Punjab may have moved on from last year's devastating floods, the harsh reality on the ground tells a different story. In the Baupur Mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi, numerous farmers are still grappling with the aftermath, unable to sow wheat in fields that remain buried under thick layers of sand and silt deposited by the floodwaters.
A Race Against Time for Maize Sowing
Although volunteers have managed to clear a portion of the affected land, allowing some farmers to proceed with wheat cultivation, large tracts remain uncultivable. A massive effort is currently underway to level these remaining fields before the window for sowing maize closes in February. The scale of the damage is severe, with many fields submerged under four to five feet of sand, making traditional farming impossible.
Seechewal's Volunteer Army Mobilizes
The recovery work began in earnest on September 22, spearheaded by environmentalist and Rajya Sabha MP Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal. After leading successful efforts to plug the breaches in river embankments, Seechewal turned his attention to rehabilitating the farmland. He mobilized hundreds of farmers from across Punjab, who arrived with their own tractors to help clear the debris.
The volunteer movement reached its peak on September 30, when approximately 150 tractors were simultaneously working in the area. Volunteers report that on some days, this number even surpassed 200 tractors. This collective effort enabled many to prepare their own fields for wheat sowing in time, after which volunteers from distant areas had to return home.
However, the work is far from over. Seechewal and his dedicated band of volunteers continue to toil in the region, now using heavier machinery like excavators alongside tractors. During a recent inspection on Wednesday afternoon, Seechewal noted that large mounds of sand are still visibly dominating the landscape. He has made a public appeal for donations, specifically for diesel to fuel the machinery, highlighting the severe ongoing hardship faced by farmers whose livelihoods are trapped under the sand.
An Ingenious Land Restoration Technique
For the past three to four months, volunteers associated with Seechewal have been executing a labor-intensive land restoration strategy. They are digging trenches up to five feet deep in the sand-clogged fields. The hard, original soil excavated from these trenches is then used to replace the top layer of barren sand. This ingenious method aims to restore the land's fertility by bringing the productive soil back to the surface.
The situation presents a stark contrast within the same region. Farmers whose fields were cleared earlier in the volunteer drive have successfully sown wheat. Their neighbors, however, whose land bore the brunt of the sand deposition, face an uncertain future. Their immediate hope is to clear and level their fields in time for the next cropping cycle, with the target set for maize sowing by February.
The story of Sultanpur Lodhi underscores a critical gap between short-term disaster response and long-term agricultural recovery. It showcases the power of community action led by figures like Seechewal, while also revealing the persistent vulnerabilities of farmers who remain dependent on continued support to reclaim their land and livelihoods from the clutches of a past disaster.
