Bajura, September 15

A prolonged drought is taking a heavy toll on farmers of nine VDCs in the northern belt of Bajura.

The farmers’ crops in the VDCs have wilted away for want of rainfall. “There has been no rainfall for the last one-and-a-half months,” said Ran Bahadur Budha of Wai VDC-7.

The District Agriculture Development Office, Bajura said that food crops planted in Wai, Jukot, Gotri, Jagannath, Badhu, Rugin, Kotila, Sappata and Kolti VDCs have dried up owing to the drought. The harvest this season is reportedly only sufficient for three months.

Chief at District Agriculture Development Office Ram Krishna Shrestha said that the aforementioned nine VDCs would face a serious food crisis throughout the year because of the drought. Locals shared their fear of starving to death as the drought had destroyed their crops.

Sita Dhami from Wai said the locals were left with no choice but to set fire to the fields. Dhami said that water sources in the VDC had also dried up after the drought, causing a water shortage in the area.