The only irrigation water channel in Dungkarling village of Phuentshogthang Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar broke down at a time when the farmers needed it the most. Landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall during monsoon this year damaged the irrigation channel. As a result, more than 30 acres of paddy fields have been left fallow in the village this year.
72-year-old Gempo is one of the affected farmers. Had it not been for the damaged irrigation channel, he would be harvesting paddy at this time of the year. With not enough water, he had to leave his two and a half acres of paddy fields fallow.
โI have enough stock to last for the next few months. But for next year, I wonโt have any as I could not cultivate paddy due to irrigation channel damage. Due to the damage, I could get enough water for cultivation,โ said Gempo.
The three-kilometre irrigation channel was completed in the early 1980s. But the landslide damaged more than 200 metres of the irrigation channel. Consequently, more than 15 households were not able to cultivate paddy.
โWe cultivate paddy after 30 days of raising seedlings. But when it was time to transplant, the irrigation channel got damaged due to flashflood and landslide and we couldnโt get enough water,โ said Samdrup, a farmer.
โWe also get a good earning from the sale of areca nut. We get around 50,000 to 90,000 Ngultrum. However, our main cash crop is rice. Unfortunately, we couldnโt cultivate paddy this time,โ said Rohit Kumar Pokhrel, another farmer.
The landslide also damaged the irrigation channel of Sormathang village this year leaving more than three acres of paddy field fallow.
Meanwhile, Dungkarling residents are expecting the gewog administration to restore the irrigation channel at the earliest.
โThe irrigation channel needs maintenance at the earliest. Otherwise, it is going to be difficult for all of us here who depend on paddy cultivation for our livelihoods. The land was granted to us as Kidu by His Majesty The King. I think the gewog administration should do something,โ said Gempo.
However, the gewog has allocated Nu 3.7 M to maintain the irrigation channels in Dungkarling and Sormathang villages for the next paddy cultivation.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sonam Pem
