Ramechhap, July 13

Scant precipitation has affected paddy plantation in Ramechhap. Barely 23 per cent of plantation has taken place — data in the District Agriculture Development Office shows.

“After the first rainfall in the third week of March, we have not seen major rainfall. While it has hit paddy plantation, other crops have started to wilt” said farmer Raj Kumar Bohora of Tiplung, adding that this was the first time there had been no rainfall even by the second week of July.

According to Dhrub Prasad Subedi of Manthali, even streams have dried up. “Around this time in the past local streams gushed with water. There is no water in the rivers this year,” he said, adding that paddy had yet to be planted in 5,000 ropani land.

Another farmer Masini Sarki of Salu Sunarpani too lamented the absence of rainfall even by mid-July. “As farmers have no other option, they can’t help but wait for rainfall,” she said. The cloudless sky without the cooling effect of rain has worsened the situation. The ongoing post-earthquake reconstruction campaign has also been affected.