With no or little spring shower, the monsoon season is already upon us but without much rain. An untimely rainfall hurts some people more than others. Farmers, especially are at the receiving end of it, some having to uproot and discard their crops immature as in Phuentshogling and Tsirang. In desperation, others had to appease deities for rainfall.
Because of the dry spell, the maize plants have started withering in Pungtenchhu and Tsirang Toed Gewogs in Tsirang. Some farmers have already started uprooting immature maize plants and feeding them to their cattle.
“Vegetables are also drying out since we don’t have excess irrigation water. We had to even stay without drinking water for almost a week recently,” said Langa Dema, a farmer.
“We will have to uproot all the plants if we don’t receive rain in the next few days. I didn’t feed them to my since they were badly infested with pests,” said Chura Muni Siwokoti, another farmer.
The story is no different in other gewogs of the district.
“Pests easily ravage crops when there is no rain for a long duration. Squash plants are drying out and we are even facing an acute shortage of drinking water supply these days,” said Gam Bir Tamang, a farmer.
A few farmers in the district also performed rituals to invoke the God of Rain for rainfall. Similar rituals and practices are also being performed in other places like Bumthang and Paro.
With paddy cultivation works inching closer, some farmers in the district are worried the district doesn’t receive rainfall in the next few weeks. They say this would delay their paddy cultivation works.
In Phuentsholing, one of the hottest places in the country, temperatures have been soaring like never before. At Chomchhey village in Deling-Marpji Chiwog, farmers are anticipating a poor maize harvest.
“Maize stalks are getting dried out before their usual time. It is not because the cultivation season is over,” said Mon Bdr Ghalley, a farmer.
“Our maize is getting infested with pests and the corn inside has become black like coal,” said Ganesh Bdr.
According to the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology, Bhutan has been under a heat wave condition since last Friday. This is because of the delayed onset of the southern monsoon winds this year. Day temperatures have been a few degrees higher than the normal average values of the past 26 years.
“Second reason is that the winds from the west that cause disturbances in our region and create clouds and rainfall, they have been quite weak this past few weeks,” said Dechen Lhamo Gyeltshen.
The condition of heat wave in the country is predicted to prevail till tomorrow and it is then expected to decrease due to cloudy weather and rain.
Meanwhile, scattered showers over the country last night have finally brought some much-needed relief to the people.
Bureau reporters & Namgay Dema
Edited by Kipchu
