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Drought affects food output
OKHALDHUNGA, MAY 03 -
Dozens of village development committees (VDCs) in Okhaldhunga, Udayapur, Sindhuli and Khotang that lie along the banks of the Dudhkoshi River have turned barren due to prolonged drought. People have been unable to do farming due to little rainfall over the last three years.
The constant drought has resulted in a decline in crop production. Paddy output dropped to 10,353 tons this year from 16,235 tons last year.
Among the parched VDCs are Hakle, Unbu, Waksa, Moli, Taluwa, Bhadaure, Diyale, Khanibhanjyang, Kuibhir and Serna of Okhaldhunga. Similarly, Lekhani, Hardeni, Mayankhu of Udayapur, Solapa and Khangsang VDCs of Sindhuli and Bahunidanda, Chyasmitar, Badahare, Mangaltar and Salle of Khotang have been severely affected by the drought.
An all-party meeting held a few months ago had declared the area a drought-stricken zone.
In the absence of rainfall, the streams have also begun to dry up. Farmers have complained that they have not been able to plant maize although the growing season, April, has already passed.
"We have been compelled to plant maize late this year too due to the drought," said Manaraj Rai, a farmer from Khachapu of Unbu 1. "We faced a similar situation last year. Now there is no alternative but to go abroad to earn a living," he added.
Suka Dev Mainali, officiating chief of the District Agricultural Development Office, said people had been forced to plant millet on 1,000 hectares of land instead of paddy as the land could not be irrigated due to drought. A total of 21,859 hectares of land are being irrigated through both advanced and traditional irrigation means annually.
Experts say the government must provide irrigation in the drought-hit zone through a special budgetary package. "People from dozens of VDCs will be compelled to migrate if the current level of drought continues," said Homnath Dahal, former minister for agriculture who represented Okhaldhunga district. He said that the people had been forced to go to foreign countries to earn a living in the absence of proper irrigation for farming.
Donors such as the World Wildlife Fund are working on conservation of irrigation and wetlands along the banks of the Dudhkoshi. Pankhukhola Unified Resource Management Committee has been working in this regard under a WWF programme. Chairman of the committee Rajkumar Rumdali said it was working to conserve the wetlands at Waksa and Moli VDCs.
Posted on: 2010-05-04 09:17
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