Mangaluru: About eight to 10 acres of land under ‘mattu gulla’ cultivation were damaged when saltwater entered fields at Mattu and Kaipunjal villages in Udupi district on Friday.

Water from the Pangala rivulet suddenly entered the fields damaging the standing crop of ‘mattu gulla’.

The farmers face this problem every year in this region. The villagers complained that though they had brought this matter to the notice of the elected representatives and departmental officers, no action had been taken.

Dayananda V. Bangera, president of Mattu Gulla Belegarara Sangh, told The Hindu that the damage was more in the fields of Kaipunjal.

Laxman M., a ‘mattu gulla’ farmer, said that about eight to 10 acres of land had got destroyed.

This year, embankments were constructed on the left bank of Panagala rivulet. Hence there has been no damage there. But the damage has taken place in Pangala-Mattu and Kaipunjal areas, he said.

“The only solution is to construct a big dam at Mattu to prevent salt water intrusion. The government is constructing a big bridge in the place of small bridge at Mattu. We have brought this matter to the notice of the local MLA Vinay Kumar Sorake,” Mr. Laxman said.

Pradeep Kurdekar, Udupi Tahsildar, said that the matter had not come to his notice as yet. “But if there is crop damage, we will compensate the farmers,” he said.

The ‘mattu gulla’ is a special type of eggplant known for its unique taste. A seasonal vegetable, it is grown by about 160 farmers in these two villages and is available from October 15 to June 15.

According to legend, about 400 years ago, Sri Vadiraja of Sode Mutt, one of the Ashta Mutts of Udupi, gave the seeds of this special brinjal to farmers of Mattu village to cultivate. They have been cultivating this vegetable since then.

The farmers offer their first crop annually to the Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple. They also offer it to the Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple during the ‘Horekanike’ of the biennial Paryaya festival.