Water for irrigation was a constant struggle for farmers of Phumzur, a Monpa community under Langthil Gewog in Trongsa. People often left the fields fallow and delayed their paddy transplantation due to a lack of water. But not anymore. The gewog recently installed 155 High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, connecting the water source. And this has helped farmers carry out their paddy transplantation two months ahead of time.
With the availability of water for irrigation, farmers are now hoping to revive fallow lands. 45-year-old Yonten was the first person to reap the benefit of the support.
“We had to leave some terraces fallow due to lack of water in the past. But hereafter, we want to revive those fallow lands as well and transplant paddy as we have access to water now,” said Yonten.
“We could transplant paddy early this year because we are provided with pipes and we are very happy,” added Thinley Dorji.
“We have been transplanting paddy for the longest time. But in the past, people had to depend on rainwater for early plantations. So, we thank the government for providing us with the pipes otherwise we would have delayed this year also,” added Tsheten.
“If we are provided with this kind of support, we are able to engage in farming. And this can help achieve self-sufficiency in the community. For instance, our dependency on imported rice will decrease as we could transplant paddy early with a better rice yield,” added Choden.
The Gewog spent about Nu 700,000 for the restoration and installation of pipes. Phumzur has fifteen households and almost all of them grow paddy.
Passang, Trongsa
