While erratic climatic conditions are causing various challenges in farming, the onset of monsoon showers became a huge relief for farmers who feared that they might miss paddy transplantation with paddy plants in several areas dying out due to rising temperature before they are sown.
A bigger problem now arises as floods triggered by incessant rain destroyed several irrigation canals.
Another danger facing the farmers is the absence of hanging bridges, hampering farmer direct access to their fields amid flood. These unaddressed issues have wasted their precious time as they were made to spend several hours to reach their agricultural plot. Many farmers were also stranded and made to return home midway with volumes of river flowing above danger level.
Several farmers in Ukhrul district, Manipur expressed that scores of paddy fields were reportedly inundated and washed away in addition to destroying their irrigation channel.
Honpamla L, 50, a cultivator from north of Ukhrul who has successfully transplanted her rice plants feared that if flooding continues it might bring destruction to her standing plants. After prolonged absence of rain, comes an unceasing heavy rain.
“These precarious situations are a dent to farmers as we had invested so much in terms of labour, time, money and other expenses to ensure that the plantation is done on time. Now the greater challenges come with the irrigation canal being severely damaged. The situation is quite similar with the proverbial “out of the frying pan into the fire.”
What further compounded the distress of the farmers is that when their paddy fields and irrigation canals were severely damaged by the recent, “flood caused by the tropical cyclone Remal,” several standing paddy plants were already scorched to prolonged absence of rain.
They would miss the sowing season, for even if they plant new ones again, the production will not be suitable for luxuriant growth as their seeds followed a specific time frame and season. Coupled with these, most fields would be devoid of adequate water supply.
Normally, harvest begins from the last third and last week of October and continues till November before they are safely stored in their granaries.
Commenting on timely transplantation of paddy, one Asem Shimrah, 60, a farmer from Ukhrul district said that his paddy field entirely depend on monsoon rains and any disturbances in its arrival meant no sowing season and the resultant food scarcity as its direct outcome for the family.
“Fear gripped my family with increase in temperature, showing no sign of retreat with paddy plants which are ripe for transplantation slowly dying one after another. I thank god that rain came when farmers like me needed it the most,” Shimrah, who is a father of five children shared, hoping for a good harvest.
He used to harvest approximately 450 to 500 tins (local measuring unit) worth rice annually from his field. Their production capacity otherwise was around 800 tins in the last one decade. “Land degradation, decline in soil fertility and changes in the climate pattern could be cited as one of the several probable reasons for the decline in yield.”
Sopemla SA, 45, a farmer from north of Ukhrul district is another cultivator sustaining her family by farming different vegetables and fruits with paddy as her main support system. A mother of three children, she provides education to her wards by selling vegetables and fruits at her local market. The widow’s daily activities are centred on preparing meals for her wards by waking early and sending off her children to school before she gets ready for her farm work.
My plot of field is blessed with robust irrigation. However, what worries me the most is that the stream from where water is irrigated has sharply declined making it impossible to irrigate the field. I have started encountering these changes in the last couple of years. But the decline in water level was more prominent this year. If monsoon rain has not arrived I would have to forego paddy plantations. “Gambling with monsoon rain is a huge headache for poor farmers like me who have no alternative means to tide over in case of rain deficit,” she mentioned.
What ails the farmers? Large-scale quarrying of stone and sand in the riverbed and catchment area is widely reported in various river banks of hill districts of Manipur.
When probed as to why such unprecedented pressure is given to the river course, the majority of the people who are into these businesses and the main shareholder responded that it is a win-win for all the parties involved, notwithstanding the implications their activities are causing to farmers.
These activities mostly peak when implementing centrally sponsored developmental projects, widening or improvement of roadways (National Highways) etc.
As a direct outcome of these actions, whenever a flood-like situation occurs, the lurking dangers turn to reality, completely changing the river course and leading to massive destruction of standing crops, livestock, properties and other resources.
As per the findings, these are purely man-made activities.
Changes in the rainfall pattern, rising temperature and humidity level coupled with large-scale deforestation is adding more woes not only to farmers but equally to the populace as a whole. These were corroborated by several people whom the Imphal Free Press had interacted with.
They agreed that it has become more difficult for people to work outdoors during day time. “The use of fans to cool down was a rare thing in the last decade; however, given the intensity of humidity level the issue must have reached even the grassroot levels,” 70-year-old Shangrei S, told Imphal Free Press.
