Drought alarm grips farmers
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, July 12 2009: Despite the Government of Manipur declaring drought in the state and distributing 300 water pump sets through the Department of Argiculture, most of the paddy fields still remain as dry as a bone, and farmers are unable to grow paddies.

The dry spell that has been lingering has become so alarming.

The farmer community has been gripped with panic.

A panicked farmer tries his luck by sowing paddy seeds in the dry field

According to a statement released by the Agriculture Department of the US government regarding the drastic fall in the rains in India, the situation is likely to remain for another week.

Unless the situation improves, it is most likely that the produce of Khariff crops like paddy, soyabean, cotton and other corns will be considerably reduced in the next harvest.

Though the rainfall in different parts of India till July 1 differed, comparatively it was 29% less than the usual.Moreover the little rainfall that the farmers of Manipur had is not anywhere near to cultivating paddy in the dry fields.

Despite distribution of water pump sets to the farmers and some River Lift Irrigation Projects being commissioned, not even 50% of the fields in the state are in a condition of cultivation of paddy.

Though there had been intermittent rainfalls from drizzling to heavy showers for short period, the summer sunshine dried the wetness in a few hours.

Experts feel that if there is a heavy shower in large parts of the state for a few hours at a stretch, the fields may become cultivable.

Somer farmers told this newspaper that though there is not a drop of water in the fields, since the timing for growing paddy is already very late, they had sown paddy seeds on the dry fields.

The seeds have not germinated as yet.

It can't be said whether the seeds will germinate or not, the farmers said.

They also expressed unhappiness over the way only five or six water pump sets being distributed in an assembly constituency, which can not serve the purpose of the entire farmers.

This helps only a few farmers and a small portion of the fields in the constituency.

Most of the farmers do not get the benefit of using the pump sets, they rued.

In Thongju Assembly Constituency in Imphal East district, there is no means to draw water from the Kongba river or Imphal river between which lie a sizable area of paddy fields, the farerm said.

In the meanwhile, drought situation remains in Punjab, Delhi, Bihar and some other states too.

The Union Government has got cognisance of the situation in those states, but has refused to recognise the drought situation in Manipur and approve the state government's declaration of the same.

Comparative rainfalls in Manipur
2008 2009
Jan Jan
33.3 ml nil
Feb Feb
38 ml 22.5 ml
March March
79.3 ml 40.1 ml
April April
20.8 ml 65.1 ml
May May
139.2 ml 105.3 ml
June June
171 ml 108.1 ml
July July
256 ml 106.4 ml.