Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in Monggar yesterday. More than 250 households in three gewogs have reported damages to crops, properties and farm roads.
For the past few days, Monggar has received continuous rainfall. Farmers hailed it as a blessing for their crops. However, as the intensity of the rain increased, the blessing turned into a nightmare.
52-year-old Sangki is one of the farmers who lost crops to a flash flood triggered by heavy rainfall. A mother of five had grown maize and other vegetables on her field. But before she could harvest her produce, it was all washed away.
She said, “I have cultivated chilli, carrot, radish and maize plants in my field but all were washed away by the flash flood. The downpour also partially damaged my house.”
Like Sangki, many others reported damages to their crops.
Dorji Tshomo, a farmer in Kidekhar chiwog under Monggar Gewog bemoaned her lost. She lost her maize field to the downpour. “I won’t be able to process flattened maize this time. Most of my maize plants had been washed away and now I am left with only a few.”
“We had heavy rainfall but I didn’t expect the damage to this extent. We can’t stop the natural calamities. It had damaged our food for the whole year. I don’t how we are going to survive the whole year. We are helpless,” echoed another farmer, Dechen Choki.
“Of 100 households, the crops of almost 60 households got damaged by the heavy rain. The flash flood also partially damaged my house. The stormwater, which came between the two houses entered all over the rooms. It also damaged a few numbers of roof sheets” said Tshewang Penjor, the Tshogpa of Wengkhar_Yagpoogang chiwog.
The flash flood also partially damaged the ECCD centre and farm road connecting Kidekhar and Drepoong Gewog.
The local leaders and the gewog agriculture officials are visiting the affected households to assess the extent of damages caused by the rainstorm.
Every year, farmers in Monggar lose hundreds of acres of crops to natural calamities.
Sonam Tshering, Monggar
Edited by Sangay Chezom
