Lack of irrigation channel has forced people of Bangtsho Chiwog in Samdrup Jongkhar to leave their fields fallow. This, villagers say, has adversely affected their quest of becoming self-sufficient in rice.
It has been over a decade since villagers stopped cultivating paddy. Since then, about 15 acres of their fields have remained fallow.
“Earlier, when we cultivated paddy, the annual harvest was enough to last for two years. Now, at times, we have to buy three bags of rice in a month,” Rinzin Lhamo, a farmer, said.
“I used to grow paddy in an acre of a field. But today, without an irrigation channel, the fields are left fallow,” Sonam Tobgay, another farmer, said.
According to the villagers, their previous irrigation channel was damaged during the construction of a farm road to Garpawoong Middle Secondary School.
“We made several requests to our local leaders for a new irrigation channel. They agreed to construct but nothing has happened so far. We are ready to cultivate paddy again if we get the channel,” Rinzin Lhamo said.
Meanwhile, the Dewathang gewog administration said it has plans to construct an irrigation channel for Bangtsho in the current Plan. The office has proposed about Nu 3 M ngultrum for the project.
