Scanty rainfall leaves paddy fields parched
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 17 2023: With scanty rainfall and parched fields amid the strife between the Meiteis and the Kukis, Manipur is staring at a severe shortage of rice after this year's harvest, said farmers.

While scanty rainfall has wasted as many as 31,742 hectares of paddy fields, more than 9,627 hectares of arable and fertile fields are lying idle due to the present unrest.

Two of the foremost farmers' bodies-Loumi Shinmi Apunba Lup (Lousal) Manipur and Irabot Foundation Manipur (IFM) said scanty rainfall has affected 21,630 hectares of fields in Imphal East district, 1,765 hectares in Imphal West, 5,288 hectares in Bishnupur, 3,077 hectares in Thoubal and 518 hectares in Kakching district.

Scanty rainfall leaves paddy fields parched

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Lousal president Mutum Churamani said according to the weather authority, there was no rainfall from January to March this year.

April and May witnessed negligible amount of rainfall while June saw some relief.

The month of June saw some 40 percent rainfall and July saw around 60 percent rainfall.

From January to July, the total rainfall is only around 45 percent, which is below the minimum amount of rainfall required for carrying out agricultural activities, he said.

He added Manipur has started to feel the brunt of climate change and attributed the reason for the reduction in the amount of rainfall to mass deforestation of forest land in the hills of Manipur and global warming.

Irabot Foundation Manipur president Kh Gopal Luwang told The Sangai Express that the Manipur Government must immediately take up steps to mitigate the problems farmers are facing in the valley districts.

Shortfall of rain has affected 31,742 hectares of paddy fields and another 9,627 hectares in the foothills are either lying idle or wasted as they fall under Red Zone (an area treated as danger zone due to present ethnic strife in Manipur).

The Government should compensate all the affected farmers, Gopal said.

On the 9,627 hectares of fields in the foothills, Gopal said satellite images show these fields as green, however it (colour green) is because of the vegetation and weeds.

The fields are lying idle, he said.

Gopal said the monsoon rain was late and the amount of rainfall is not enough for agricultural activities.

In Manipur, paddy seeds are sown before mid July and transplanted before mid August.

However, due to scanty rainfall, farmers are staring at an imminent failure of crops this year, he said.

More than 150 hectares of fields in Thiyam Konjil Haokha Loukol, Khuman Loukol, Phura Makha, Waheibi, Lairampat, Phum-lon Pat in Imphal East district are facing acute shortage of water and farmers are unable to sow/transplant paddy crops, he said.

Similarly, more than 500 hectares in Sawombung, Keibi Khunou, Keibi Kumuda, Pourabi, Keibi Heikakmapal, Keibi Khullen, Tiger Camp, Nunggoi, Lamlai and Huidrom area are facing shortage of water.

Standing paddy crops in these areas which were sown early are also likely to fail.

More than 1,000 hectares of fields in Phayeng Mamang Loukol in Imphal West are facing man-made drought as Kukis have diverted river water in the upstream, claimed Gopal.

The fields at Phayeng Mamang Loukol were earlier fed by water from Maklang river.

As Kukis have diverted the water from Abalok river, the Maklang river water has receded and is unable to feed water to the fields, he said.

More than 500 hectares of fields in Khonghampat Mamang, Khonghampat Khunou and surrounding areas are also facing acute shortage of water, he added.

Just as the farmer bodies said, other than a few hectares of fields near ponds and irrigation canals, major portions of the fields in the interior areas far from any source of water are facing acute water shortage and crops are failing.

Even as farmers are using pumps to lift water from ponds and irrigation canals, a larger portion of the agricultural fields far from ponds and canals are not getting the required water.

While the farmers had sown and transplanted paddy with great difficulties, they are facing many other problems borne out of the shortage of water.

The fields are dry and unable to hold water and as such, farmers are also facing difficulties in weeding process.

Even though the farmers are using weedicides, they have been forced to hire additional manpower for weeding incurring additional expenditures/cost.

Tomba, a farmer who has some paddy fields at Imphal East's Yaralpat said the rain this year has been cruel to the farmers.

"The Met Department (India Meteorological Department) on radio frequently said there will be heavy rainfall in the coming 2-3 days in the whole of North East including Manipur, but it never rains in Manipur.

Even when rainfall occurs it lasts merely 10-20 minutes which is not enough.

Maybe rains do fall in isolated places," Tomba said.

The rainfall this year is not enough for the fields.

Most of the standing paddy crops have withered and turned reddish due to shortage of water.

The land has developed cracks and are parched, he said.

Even as farmers are staring at colossal losses, the State Government has paid little attention to the farmers as it is preoccupied due to the present strife between the Meiteis and the Kukis, he said.

The violence that has displaced thousands, and the imminent failure of crops have compounded the woes of the people, especially farmers, he added.

Tomba said the Agriculture, Irrigation, Minor Irrigation Departments are not seen doing enough to address the water shortage.

The Departments, he said, are not seen providing pumps to the farmers to lift water from irrigation canals.

Manipur is likely to face severe shortage of rice or famine next year, he added.