PAD Distributes Water-Resilient Rice Seeds to 100 Farmers in Lakhimpur

Manuel Aind

Arun Kongari

Lakhimpur: People’s Action for Development (PAD), a leading Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), based in upper Assam recently distributed water-resilient rice seeds to a hundred farmers of 10 villages under Bihpuria Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur district of Assam. The NGO has been working to help the marginalised communities, particularly the tribals, Adivasis, women, children and other socio-economically downtrodden sections, of the region for last decades. Following all the ongoing Covid-19 protocols, imposed by the administration and additional suggetions from experienced medical professionals, the PAD volunteers sent the seeds to the Village Disaster Management Committees (VDMCs) of the 10 selected villages, highly affected by the Subansiri river’s floods and erosion. From each village, 10 farmers were chosen as beneficiaries by the PAD volunteers and the members of the VDMCs.

The seed support to the farmers could be done under a project entitled “Strngthening Resilience: Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change in Flood-Affected Areas of Assam through Multi-Sectoral Prevention and Adapatation Mechanisms and Advocacy”, implemented by PAD and supported by a Germany based organisation Terre des Hommes (TDH). For socio-economic upliftment of the villages, children groups, women groups, youths groups; other task forces etc were formed and high rise clay platforms were built. Philipson Sona, the PAD’s Deputy Director cum bProject Coordinator told, “Installtion of high rise tube wells to access clean drinking water by the villagers have been going on and 5 boats are ready to distribute, prioritising in most affected villages. Hope God will soon lower the curve of the spiralling Covid-19 cases so that we serve the people more who really need external assistance to survive decent lives in the society. The implementation of the project has been undergoing in the villages of Gondhosoraiati, Dhunaguri, Bahgarha Pathar, Puroni Bahgarha, Ronganoi ChenimoraBholukaguri, Gongorabari,Dahgharia, Kalbari and Aunibari.

Comments

Reminiscence of 1950's Assam Earthquake and Subansiri's flood

MONOJ GOGOI APR 13, 2013: It was the morning of August 15, 1950. While the entire country was celebrating the 3rd Independence Day of India, the earth shook suddenly in the northeast region. It was an earthquake at a magnitude of 8.7 in the Richter scale which created indelineable devastation at several parts of the region. In that earthquake, in a massive landslide occurred in the hills near Dulungmukh, the Subansiri, a principal north bank tributary of the Brahmaputra was entirely blocked. Due to the blockade the water level receded largely in the downstream and the river bed almost dried up. Though the people saw the landslides from the downstream, they did not know the actual reason behind the drying up of the river. The riverine people gladly became busy in fishing in the swallow stagnant water of the river. The government tried to warn the people by distributing leaflets using helicopter about the blockade of the river and the possible impending disaster, but the p...

Saving Assam's Communities: A Scientific Approach to Riverbank Erosion

MONOJ GOGOI The riverbank erosion is one of the major problems in Assam. The riparian community in the Brahmaputra basin in Assam has been bearing the brunt of erosion for decades. They lose properties, houses, homestead land and agricultural lands to erosion. The riverbank erosion, sometimes, engulfs even an entire settlement or village and thus displaces thousands of people annually in the state. According to a report, the state has already lost more than 4.27 ha of land to the erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. There is no any mantra or strategy to stop suddenly the increasing trend of the erosion but scientific studies like “Mapping riverbank erosion and assessing it's impact on socio-economy and livelihood of people in selected villages in Lakhimpur and Majuli district: A case study for sustainable policy intervention to improve disaster and climate resilience of vulnerable communities”, prepared by Partha J Das (lead author) and Arup Kr. Das (remot...

LOW YIELD OF BETEL NUTS HITS RURAL ECONOMY IN ASSAM THIS YEAR

MONOJ GOGOI It's the harvesting period of betel nut or supari (areca nut) in Assam. But the yield of betel nuts is discernibly low this year in all the districts of Assam compared to previous years. Chandan Boro, who plucks betel nuts, with Ranjit Basumatary and Raju Basumatary in this season in various villages under Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district in Assam says that in this harvesting season of betel nuts they are not getting as much works as they did in previous years. He says in the orchards where we plucked 20 quintals last year, this year's yield in the same orchard is less than 5 quintals. In many trees not even a single nut is found and in which trees nuts are there, it's comparatively very few. Ranjit Basumatary says we are roaming from village to village but the situation is the same. "We are shocked to see the drastic change in the crop yields", he adds. Biren Pegu, a betel nut grower from Goroimari are...

CLIMATE CARE - NORTHEAST INDIA

Search This Blog