Drought leaves farmland barren

By Shankar KC ,Sharada (Salyan), July 28: Western parts of Salyan have been hit by drought due to inadequate rainfall for a prolonged period. Despite the monsoon reaching its mid-season, insufficient rain has begun affecting paddy, maize, millet and other monsoon crops.

Many farmers, particularly in Bangad Kupinde Municipality, are worried about the lack of irrigation. The municipality said irrigation systems dependent on the Bangad, Majhkanda and Sunauli rivers have been affected as water levels in the sources have fallen significantly.

Farmers said many fields have remained uncultivated because of a lack of water, while those where paddy has already been planted are also struggling to get adequate irrigation.

According to the municipality’s agriculture section, about 39 per cent of the area planted with paddy, maize, millet and other rain-fed crops in upland fields has been affected by inadequate rainfall. Similarly, 43 per cent of paddy fields have been affected by water shortages.

Agriculture officer Narayan Prasad Belbase said Ward Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 6 are among the areas most affected by the lack of rainfall. He said the current water shortage could be the combined result of climate change, deforestation, haphazard road construction and the drying up of water sources, among other natural and human-induced factors.

As water levels in the Bangad and Sunauli rivers have fallen, farmers in lower areas have been unable to channel enough water to their fields and have been forced to leave cultivable land barren. Even fields where planting has been completed have started developing cracks because of the lack of water.

Farmers said the lack of adequate irrigation after planting paddy has increased the risk of crops drying up, developing diseases and giving lower yields. As water dries up in the upper reaches of the Bangad River, farmers said they have been forced to stay awake throughout the night, taking turns to irrigate their fields. Maize planted in upland fields has also started drying up, they said.

Bangad has 4,871 hectares of upland farmland and 975 hectares of lowland fields, covering a total of 5,846 hectares of cultivated land. Stakeholders are concerned that crop production could decline significantly unless adequate rainfall or alternative irrigation facilities are provided in time.

Local Drona Yari complained that the government has failed to give sufficient attention to long-term irrigation infrastructure. He said it was unfortunate that large areas of cultivable land along the Bheri River remain barren due to a lack of water despite the river flowing nearby.

He also said hillsides are excavated and forests cleared every year in the name of road development, with budgets spent on building more roads than necessary to reach some villages, while irrigation infrastructure for farmers has not been given priority.