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A massive flash flood in Anantnag district has caused damage to vegetable crops, leaving farmers in deep distress, on Thursday. Large swathes of vegetable fields were submerged under floodwater, destroying standing crops that were close to harvest.
This calamity has not only wiped out months of hard work but also threatened the livelihood of hundreds of farming families who depend solely on vegetable cultivation for their income. Farmers are worried about how they will recover from such a huge loss, as they face mounting debts and no immediate means of compensation. Many fear they will be unable to prepare their fields for the next crop cycle without urgent support. Local farmers and village representatives have appealed to the government for immediate relief measures, compensation for crop losses, and steps to prevent such damage in the future to safeguard their only source of sustenance. Chief of Agriculture, Shahnawaz Ahmad Shah, stated that field staff members are carrying out a damage assessment. "In the preliminary report, we have understood that most of our pulses, vegetables and millets were washed away in the flood. Our field staff are doing the assessment, and once the report is out, then we can put forward our demands," Shah said. One of the farmers explained the current situation in the area to ANI, "We dont have anything to eat now, and the water is still filled in our farms. My appeal to the government is only that now, after this devastating event, we need help and compensation for the loss." "We dont even have new seeds to plant, so the appeal also is to help with the provisions of the seeds to get started," the farmer explained further. Speaking about his loss, another farmer named Abdul Gani, said that there has been a significant loss in the area. "A few people from the agriculture department have taken a few documents from us, but we haven't heard anything from them since then. There should be at least something as a part of compensation for us because so many of us are at a loss. Our entire farm has been submerged in the water now," Abdul Gani explained. (ANI)
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