Studies have shown that the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, which includes Bhutan, is extremely sensitive to climate change. Global warming in the HKH region is higher than elsewhere in the world. The rising global temperature presents a tricky challenge for the agriculture sector as water resources for irrigation deplete. In this story, Sherub Dorji, BBS correspondent in Samtse finds out how climate change impacts agriculture productivity and appropriate water management techniques can increase the agricultural system’s resilience to climate change.
A life science graduate turned farmer, Surjey Dhungyel, now work on his 100-acre farm in Tashichhoeling, Samtse. It’s the dry season, and with no fixed irrigation facility, water is scarce.
Surjey says, “The water consumption of these winter vegetables is very high because this area is very dry. Plants need more water for fruiting, so water consumption is high. I have planted chilli, beans, cauliflower, and cabbage. These vegetables need plenty of water.”
Surjey pumps water from the nearby Sibsoo River to irrigate his fields. But pumping water is an expensive affair. Surjey says climate change has directly affected his agriculture yield.
“When I hear from my grandfathers, the plants, the systems, the growths of the plants are all affected. We cannot get the expected harvest like we used to get due to climate change. We require more water.”
Climate change has increased the possibility and intensity of drought. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many farmers to take up vegetable farming year-round in the southern belt, it is only adding pressure to the available water resource.
Dr Ganeshman Gurung, a lecturer at the Samtse College of Education explains there is a close relationship between climate and water resources.
“Generally, people think that drought is the absence of rainfall for a prolonged period. But there are also different types of droughts. Here, we also have to assess the soil moisture, the amount of water available in the soil, which will directly impact the health of the plants.”
He says his study on climate change in Bhutan has indicated the presence of drought in agriculture. However, Bhutan’s climate data is unreliable as it is available for just about 20 years most of which is recorded manually.
“It’s not only the amount of rainfall, but the seasonality of rainfall is very important when we talk about its usefulness in terms of agriculture. I did some analysis of the country’s drought situation, and I found that drought is there in almost all parts of the country. Drought technically is not just the absence of rainfall, but there are different types of drought; we call it an agricultural drought. And different crops require a different amount of moisture. If that amount of moisture is not available in the soil, then we classify it as drought.”
Prevalence of drought and limited water available for irrigation calls for appropriate water-saving irrigation methods which would make agriculture practice resilient to climate change. One such method is using polythene pipes to channel irrigation water. The first of its kind in Dorokha, Samtse has been a success making it 50 per cent more water-efficient than conventional open channels.
“Before this irrigation pipe came in, we used to channel water using bamboos and wood. We did not get irrigation water on time. Our harvest was also very poor. Now our harvests have increased three folds,” said Bagirath Dakal from Dophuchhen Gewog, Samtse.
“Life has become easy for us now. We used to have so many water issues. The irrigation water was available for only two months, June and July. We have 52 households here. And all of us had to go to construct irrigation water drainage for a week. Even then, water was scarce. Now we have year-round irrigation water,” added Sudarshan Adhikari.
Using polythene pipes to channel irrigation water is one way of adapting to the effects of climate change. There are other alternatives- sprinkler and drip irrigation. Surjey Dhungyel is using the sprinkler.
“In my case, I am using a sprinkler for better efficiency. But if we use drip irrigation, it will be much easier, and we can efficiently use less water over a large area of land,” said Surjey.
Water is the prime channel through which the impacts of climate change on livelihoods will be felt. Thus improvement in crop water-use efficiency would mitigate water shortages and increase agriculture’s resilience to climate change.
Sherub Dorji, Samtse
