Post News Network
Chandahandi/Kodinga, July 31: Even as several northern districts of the state are battling with flood woes, farmers of several blocks in Nabarangpur district are a distressed lot fearing imminent drought situation.
Chandahandi block is the worst-hit by scanty rain this kharif season. According to agriculture department sources, paddy and non-paddy cultivation was taken up in about 15,000 hectare this year.
However, saplings in about 14 panchayats of the block have now started drying up on the parched soil due to scarcity of rain, farmers including Abhinna Bagha, Ghenu Sahoo and Manindra Gori said. Besides, hundreds of acre of land are lying barren, they added.
According to sources, the block lacks irrigation facilities except Phulajhari minor irrigation project. Other lift irrigation projects run on paper only, the farmers alleged. Last year, 687 mm of rainfall was recorded in July in the block while it has been only 218 mm so far this year. Crops would be completely damaged if the amount of rain doesn’t increase by the end of August first week, farmers said. Block agriculture officer Satya Prakash Dash admitted that farm activities have been adversely affected due to insufficient rainfall.
The situation is similar in Kosagumuda block which has not witnessed rain for the last 15 days. It has affected maize and sugarcane farming pretty badly, farmers said. Irrigation facilities in the block are also poor despite having a river like Indravati, they added.
