Mahottari, 5 February: Farmers are disappointed as the entire winter is about to pass without rain this year. After not seeing any rain until the celebration of Basant Panchami, farmers in Mahottari are now worried about not having the expected winter crop.
“Winter has passed without rain,” says Ramchandra Thapa Magar, a 60-year-old farmer from Tokitol, Bardibas-9. “It doesn’t seem like we will be able to bring in the winter crops properly.” He says that in his area, where there is no permanent irrigation system, they have been irrigating their crops by drawing water from wells by motor. This year, due to the lack of winter rains, the water level in the wells has deepened, making it impossible to draw water by motor, which is a concern for farmers in Tokitol, including Thapa.
The last week of Magh has not let up. Although it is natural to experience fog in winter, farmers say that the old weather pattern of the sun warming up after Magh has begun has been disrupted. “The sky is cloudy and cloudy, and there has been no rain,” says 70-year-old Bindeshwar Yadav of Bardibas-7. He said that the vegetable crops in the fields are being crushed by the fog and the soil is dry due to lack of rain.
Islam Rain, 75, of Ramnagar, Bhangaha-4, says, “This is going to be different from what we have seen before.” Rain’s neighbor Jabbar Shesh says that the seasonal weather predictions made a decade ago are no longer consistent. Due to the lack of winter rain, wheat, sugarcane and pulses have not been able to grow properly. Similarly, vegetables such as bhanta, ramtoria, chillies and others are starting to wilt due to the lack of rain. Bhogendra Mahato of Gaushala-11 says that there is no option but to wait as there is no moisture in the soil.
Experienced farmers say that winter rains not only moisten the soil but are also very nutritious for crops. Experienced farmers have the experience of seeing newly growing vegetables, sugarcane, and fruit trees including mangoes flourish after receiving winter rains. However, this time there has been no rain and as winter passes, farmers are worried that they will not be able to get the expected yield from these crops.
Due to the lack of rain in winter, the sources of drinking water, such as wells and springs, will dry up soon as the summer heat sets in. Ram Vilas Singh, a 65-year-old farmer from Bijalpura, Bardibas-12, says that there may be a shortage of drinking water. Due to the lack of rain in winter, the streams have dried up before the end of Magh. Water has stopped appearing in the evergreen Bhulke (Zaruwa) water source. There are concerns that due to the lack of winter rains, fruit trees will have less fruit, more fruit will fall and the outbreak of honeydew will increase.
Farmers have the experience that when it rains in winter, the incidence of diseases in crops decreases and the crops grow easily. Mohan Mahato of Aurahi-7 says that regular rain in winter is like nectar for crops. “Winter rain is not only for irrigation, but also for nourishing the crops and preventing diseases,” he says.
Of the total 70,000 hectares of cultivable land in Mahottari, only 10 percent is suitable for irrigation. The water sources for irrigation in such lands are also drying up due to the lack of winter rains.
