Dry conditions affect Kharif Ops

 Tilling the land with tractor at Romankasa in Narnoon mandal in  district 

The prevailing dry conditions hit the agriculture operations for Kharif on various accounts. The temperatures are rising before the onset of monsoons which were  one –week delay. 

Temperatures between 44- 45 degree Celsius recorded in the district for the last one week.

People are staying at homes whenever possible and roads wore a deserted look. The brief spell of rains struck ten days ago brought some respite to the people for few days. 

The news of one –week delay in entering the monsoon disappointed many farmers.   

Half of the farmers have not begun agriculture operations for Kharif due to high temperatures recorded, heatwaves and were waiting for a spell of rain to bring down the temperatures.

Some of the small and marginal farmers who had sold their cows due to lack of fodder and shortage of drinking water are now taking cattle for rent for agriculture operations.

On the other hand, some farmers fell in a dilemma over cultivation of cotton and not yet decided whether to cultivate cotton or traditional crops for Kharif in the wake of the campaign against the cotton cultivation by the state government.

The state government will supply seeds of soya and pulses on subsidy to encourage cultivation of these crops but it is not sure whether state government will supply seeds sufficiently.

Jangil Dashrath of Ichoda said, still 50 percent of farmers have not started agriculture operations particularly ploughing fields as they were waiting for a brief   spell of rain so that the hard soil become lose and ploughing will go deeper into the soil  and easier to do in less time.

Small and marginal farmers were not in a position to start the agriculture operation due to the poor financial position following the successive droughts and they are looking at intermediaries and private moneylenders for loans even at exorbitant interests.

Dry ponds hit livelihood of dhobis

Washermen at work in Boath mandal headquarters

The prevailing drought conditions have hit the livelihood of washermen as many of them have stopped washing clothes with water in streams and rivulets getting dried up in the villages.

Meanwhile, a few washermen are washing clothes in the available muddy water itself in the local streams in Boath mandal headquarters while a few others are washing in the houses itself if the inmates are providing them water, either though borewells or other sources.

Sensing that there is no fresh water in the water bodies, some families have stopped giving clothes to the washermen fearing that they might contract some skin diseases if they are washed in muddy water.

    

The washermen are demanding that the state government should construct dobhi ghats and provide sufficient water at those so that they can earn a living. There are reports of washermen fainting while washing clothes in the open in the scorching heat.  

Sirra Narsavva, of Tejapur village in Boath mandal, said only two washerman   families of the total seven in the village were washing clothes at the local stream as  water in it has almost dried up due to the dry conditions. “I stopped washing clothes 20 days ago due to lack of water”.

“The government should construct dobhi ghats and provide water so that we can make both ends meet’, she said.

Traditional milk producers are also facing trouble due to lack of grass in fields and fodder and drinking water for the livestock. The milk production has come down considerably due to high temperatures and insufficient fodder. There is a huge shortage of fodder in the district and officials have failed to provide food to animals.