DROUGHT LIKE SITUATION AFFECTS WATER INTENSIVE CROPS IN UPPER ASSAM

MONOJ GOGOI

PHOTO CREDIT: TONMOY CHUTIA

When the northern and western states of India are reeling under severe floods due to heavy precipitations or cloud bursts in the northern Himalayan states now, drought like situation in upper Assam, particularly in the districts of north bank districts – Dhemaji and Lakhimpur, highly affects the water intensive crops. The people who live in the flood-prone areas reported that instead of flood, in this flood season the farmers were facing acute water crisis for agricultural purpose. Some farmers from the Kadam Revenue Circle and the Bihpuria Revenue Circle informed that the bau rice (deep water rice) was not growing as expected as there was no adequate quantity of water in the paddy fields

Raj Kumar Chandi, a youth from the Dhunaguri area under Bihpuria RC informed that farmers from many flood affected villages from the area traditionally depended upon bau cultivation and this year too, the farmers expected tried to grow this water intensive variety of rice but now seemed fail as there was no adequate rain for long time. Bipin Doley, another person from a village in that area reiterated that drought like situation in the district this became a huge impediment for khariff cultivation.

Similar situation is also reported from many flood affected villages in Dhemaji district too. Farmers chose water resilient varieties of rice cultivation as an alternative but this year that’s too affected by deficiency in the rainfall.

Hemanta Phukan, Project Coordinator of North East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a Jorhat-based NGO who is working in some of the flood affected villages in Majuli district told that due to low and erratic rainfall, the farmers were not able to plant the Sali paddy in Majuli and also those who had sowed bau rice in their low lying paddy fields were living with unpredictability whether they would be able to harvest the crops yield or not. Farmers still believe the weather will change, but that’s too towards the worst. More rainfall towards the end of the monsoon can create devastating floods which will ravage the entire paddy they have planted so far.

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