Flood, landslide damage 35,804 hectares paddy, vegies

KATHMANDU, Sept 3:

Floods and landslides have damaged standing paddy and vegetables on 35,804.1 hectares in 17 districts, including the rice-bowl districts of the country such as Bardiya, Banke, Dang, Kanchanpur, Siraha and Rautahat.

The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) has projected a loss of Rs 2 billion in the production of rice alone. “Apart from the damage to land, rice production might fall by more than 10 percent because of landslides, flooding and drought,” MoAD spokesperson Uday Chandra Thakur told Republica, adding, “the terai districts, which are strong in paddy production, were also affected by flooding.”

Among the 17 districts affected, eight are in the terai, including Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Siraha, Rautahat and Dang. The rest, including Sindhupalchok, Ramechhap, Achham, Bajhang, Darchula, Baitadi, Lamjung, Gorkha and Kaski, are in the hills.

Floods and landslides have submerged and eroded agricultural land in both the hills and plains. Landslides damaged 21.6 hectares of paddy in Sindhupalchok and the Sunkoshi submerged paddies at Ramche and Dhuskun villages when landslide blocked the river at Mankha village. Loss of paddy production in Sindhupalchok is calculated at Rs 13.5 million.

Flood damage in the paddy fields of the terai, the bread basket of the country, was likewise substantial. Altogether 3,941 hectars of paddy was damaged in Surkhet alone, a high among all the affected districts, according to MoAD.

Farmers of Rautahat were also badly affected by flood, which damaged 2,052 hectares of paddy. Paddy losses were spread across Bardiya (which lost 509.6 hectares), Banke (1,946 hectares), Kailali (398), Kanchanpur (266.4), Baitadi (42.5), Dang (200), Darchula (6.2), Bajhang (1,013), Achham (2.5), Siraha (442), Ramechhap (0.8), Kaski (50), Gorkha (15) and Lamjung (2.6 hectares).

MoAD also said that 42,506 head of livestock were affected by the flooding. “Altogether 30,919 households have been affected by flood and landslide.”

Farmers have been facing flood and landslide troubles every year but the government has not provided them any relief, it is stated. Parliament´s Agriculture and Water Resources Committee has shown concern about lack of relief for the affected, according to Gagan Thapa, who chairs the committee, “The committee has directed the government to adopt measures to cope with climate change, which is responsible for torrential rains and droughts.”

Rice is the main contributor to the agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP). Last year, production of rice amounted to 4.5 million tons, valued at Rs 100 billion.

Source: Republica