Aagya Khabar,
Bardibas
Due to prolonged drought conditions in Madhesh Province, paddy plantation has been severely affected. In response, the provincial government has decided to deploy technical teams for on-site assessments.
The decision was made during a ministerial-level discussion held on Friday under the chairmanship of Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ramnath Adhikari. Teams will be deployed in all eight districts of the province to evaluate the current crisis and identify both immediate and long-term solutions.
Minister Adhikari has directed that the teams be dispatched starting Sunday. “If rainfall does not occur within the next few days, all three tiers of government must work together to find alternative solutions,” he said. He also instructed all departments under the ministry to remain in a state of readiness.
Each team will include two technicians from the federal government, who will be sent to each district. These teams will work in coordination with existing provincial agriculture and irrigation programs to gather accurate data on the ground situation.
Just a few days ago, the Madhesh Province Government declared the affected areas as “drought-stricken” due to extreme water scarcity, the growing crisis in paddy planting, and drinking water shortages.
According to the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, only about 46 percent of the paddy planting has been completed across the eight districts so far. In contrast, over 80 percent of planting is usually completed by this time in previous years.
Minister Adhikari stated that the government is preparing to fully operate existing irrigation infrastructures, conduct feasibility studies on alternative water sources—such as deep borings, irrigation ponds, and underground piping technology—and implement emergency interventions if necessary.
The provincial government is also preparing to request additional support from the federal government. Adhikari noted that the federal government has previously allocated budgets for off-season disaster management, which should now be utilized to address the crisis in Madhesh.
While the provincial government’s attention to the crisis is commendable, experts warn that if rainfall continues to delay, a severe food crisis could be imminent. In the coming days, not just the weather patterns but also the effectiveness of policies and their implementation will determine the fate of Madhesh’s farmers.
