NABARANGPUR: Agricultural activities have come to a halt in Nabarangpur district, where 90 per cent of the population depends on farming, due to erratic rainfall. In the absence of permanent irrigation facilities, farmers here mostly depend on rains for agricultural activities.

 In the last two months, this agrarian district has witnessed erratic and uneven rainfall as a result of which, paddy saplings are on the verge of being damaged.

While in June, the district recorded 196.94 mm rainfall against the normal 251.8 mm, in the current month the district has received only 181.37 mm rainfall so far against the normal 356.6 mm. Sources said if the trend continued, this would damage the saplings. Over a lakh poor and marginal farmers of the district are already reeling under scarcity of seeds and fertilisers.

Official sources said except Kosagumunda block - which received above the normal rainfall this month - the remaining nine blocks of the district are suffering due to less than the normal rainfall of 356.6 mm.

 This month, Nanadahandi block recorded 88 mm rainfall, Raighar 86 mm, Umerkote 128 mm, Nabarangpur 147.6 mm, Chandahandi 151 mm, Tentulikhunti 177 mm, Jharigam 198 mm, Dabugam 206 mm and Papadahandi got 224.1 mm rainfall.

 Farmers are now apprehending that the paddy saplings in around 52,000 hectares of medium and low lands would be damaged, if the weather did not change in a week. Besides paddy, maize crop has been hit.

Of the total 1.85 lakh hectares of cultivable land in the district, 1.56 lakh hectares are high and medium lands which require rainwater.  Sources said diversion of water of rivers under Upper Indravati Project and rampant deforestation have not only affected the farmers  but also jeopardised the socio-economic condition of people of the district.  The Indravati Project was originally conceived to irrigate 1,82,000 acres in Nabarangpur district. It could have served as a perennial source of water for farmers and an effective instrument to fight drought. But later the decision to divert the water of the project to an adjacent district deprived the local people of the irrigation benefit.

 As a result, the down stream has now dried up putting the livelihood of lakhs of farmers in jeopardy. Due to erratic and inadequate rains, crops are damaged almost every year. Locals said the piecemeal solutions have failed to bring about any change in the agrarian sector.