Athamallik: The farmers of this block in Angul district are under severe stress as a drought like situation is looming large. Half the monsoon season has gone buy and most of the villages in this block are yet to get sufficient rainfall for producing crops.
Farmers are now pinning their hopes on sufficient rainfall in the first week of the Bhadraba (End August-early September). However, if that turns out to be a dry week then all their hopes of saving the already planted paddy will disappear.
There is a total of 36,078 hectare of agriculture land in Athamallik block. Of it, 12,186 hectare is usually used for transplantation. However, due to lack of rain this season, paddy has been transplanted only on 9,711 hectares.
For better result, 347.7mm rain is required in the month of Ashadha. But the block received only 201.8mm. Even though the amount was not sufficient for paddy plantation, the farmers had gone ahead with it. They had hoped that there will be good rainfall in Shravan.
However, that did not also happen. Against normal rain of 357.5mm for Shravan, there was only 30mm of rainfall during the entire month. As of now, the farmers are worried about the saplings already planted. “If they don’t get water, they will die,” the farmers said.
The paddy fields in panchayats like Thakurgarh, Ambasaramunda, Maimura, Sanahula, Kruttibasapur, Pedipathar, Tapadhol, Sapaghara, Kurumatapa, Kantapada, Paikasahi, Nagaon, Aida, Jamudoli, Purunamanitri, Kiakata and Tusar have developed cracks due to the dry and scorching weather.
On the other hand, farmers of Kampala, Kandhapada, Madhapur and Lanahandi panchayats who depend on Manjor dam for water alleged they are not getting adequate supply for their paddy fields.
Local farmers’ leader, Anjan Kumar Pradhan said the farmers badly require rain now. If it comes later, it will be of no use.
“There are 24 panchayats in Athamallik block. Of them, only four are getting some water from Manjor dam. The rest 20 panchayats don’t have irrigation facility. A mega irrigation project can make some differences,” observed Sudarshan Gaigaria, a farmer.
When contacted, Athamallik assistant agriculture officer Rajendra Kumar Das admitted it that agricultural activities have been affected due to rain shortage. “Due to lack of water, paddy saplings have turned yellow. Only a good spell of rain can save them,” he said.
PNN