Drought Grips Nawalparasi West, Farmers Fear Crop Loss

Nawalparasi West. Farmers in the Nawalparasi area of Bardaghat Susta West are worried as the drought has continued for two weeks, with excessive heat causing paddy seedlings to dry up.

Due to the long dry spell, there is a severe water shortage, the heat has increased significantly, and the paddy fields have cracked, causing the planted seedlings to dry up, making local farmers worried.

Dinanath Yadav, a resident of Palhinandan-6, says that planting has stopped as the planted paddy seedlings are drying up due to cracked fields. According to him, with this year's long drought, deep borewells and hand pumps have also started drying up, adding to the problem of drinking water besides irrigation.

Ward Chairman Dayashankar Tripathi of Palhinandan-5 says that while there is some relief for washing clothes and bathing in the villages south of the Gandak canal as hand pumps are providing a little water, there is a severe water shortage in his own village area.

Due to the lack of drinking water, Chairman Tripathi informed that they are forced to arrange water from the deep borewell installed by the Drinking Water Institute by operating a motor with collected donations. According to Chairman Tripathi, as it has not rained for more than two weeks, the heat has become unbearable, and the planted paddy seedlings are drying up, leading to the suspension of paddy planting in the remaining fields.

Shivaprasad Aryal, head of the Agriculture Knowledge Center Nawalparasi, said that farmers have started panicking as the planted paddy seedlings are drying up due to the activation of the western wind system. While informing that about forty percent of paddy cultivation has been completed in the district so far, Chief Aryal said, "Due to no rain for two weeks, the planted paddy seedlings are drying up. There is a severe shortage of drinking water, causing panic among farmers and local people. The problem is exacerbated in the Nawalparasi West region as borewells and hand pumps are also drying up."

Meanwhile, local farmers are hoping that with the news of the monsoon entering from the east of the country, if it rains soon, the heat will subside, the problem of drinking water and irrigation will be solved, the paddy seedlings will get life, and they will be able to be active in agricultural business and enjoy.