Nagaland government urged to declare drought in Western Sumi area

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Sep. 3 (EMN): As deficient rainfall has left farmers distraught, the Western Sumi Youth Front (WSYF) has urged the government of Nagaland and Agriculture department to declare drought in Western Sumi area and take necessary steps to help the affected farming community.

General Secretary of WSYF, Bohoi Yeptho told Eastern Mirror that the drought-like situation has badly affected many villages, especially Aghunaqa area, which covers 38 villages; Khaghaboto; and half of Niuland.

He said that the villagers were unable to grow any ‘kind of crops’ during the plantation season due to less rainfall and even those paddy fields that had been transplanted had dried up.

According to an update from WSYF, shortfall of rain and late monsoon had left farmers in Western Sumi jurisdiction, especially Aghunaqa, Khaghaboto and Kuhuboto areas, in distress and the situation had become a matter of survival.

It said the situation is grave as farmers depend on monsoon and rains for “staple food production”.

“Hunger looms large for the farming community although the state agriculture department has sounded an alarm over ‘drought-like situation’ in the state and are hopeful that the department has prepared a contingency plan for the farmers in case of worsening situation,” read the press release.

Requests officials to carry out spot verification

It said delayed monsoon didn’t help as there was ‘no increase in rainfall in Dimapur district, especially in the Western Sumi area, leading to failed germination despite repeated sowing as saplings dried up’.

“The farmers, who have been cultivating for decades, know very well that whatever little greens one sees in the ignorable surviving crops would soon turn yellowish and they have no hope about the standing crops yielding even the tiniest result,” it stated.

Maintaining that the Western Sumi area has been worst-hit by the drought, the WSYF has requested the Agriculture department and the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority to depute their staff to the area for on-spot verification, adding that it would extend all possible support and co-operation.