Assam: Mushalpur Farmers Left Helpless as Drought Devastates Paddy Fields

While monsoon rains are causing havoc in several parts of Assam with rising floodwaters, a starkly contrasting situation has emerged in the Mushalpur area of Baksa district.

According to sources, a severe dry spell has gripped Mushalpur leaving farmers in deep distress. In Baganpara village under the Baganpara Revenue Circle of Baksa district, over 1,000 bighas of agricultural land have dried up due to the prolonged absence of rainfall, sources said.

The once-fertile fields now lie parched, with wide cracks running across the hardened soil. Local farmers, staring at ruined crops and failed harvests, have been left helpless, with many with their heads in their hands, watching the earth crumble beneath their hopes.

"There has been no rainfall for days. The rivers and canals have dried up. The water level in paddy fields has vanished, leaving behind cracked mud beds instead of wet, fertile soil," said a local farmer, pointing to the barren stretch once filled with young paddy.

The situation has only worsened over time. Crops like kothia (sali paddy) have withered in the fields, and the air hangs heavy with dust where there should have been the scent of damp earth. Farmers now wait anxiously for rain, praying for relief from the unrelenting heat and drought-like conditions.

Adding to their woes is the perceived inaction of the government’s irrigation department. Despite the existence of an irrigation division, local farmers claim they have never benefited from any irrigation facilities. “The irrigation department exists only in name. It has never reached us,” said another farmer from Baganpara.

The farmers have now made a collective appeal to the government and relevant departmental authorities: “Please arrange for irrigation facilities. We are desperate. Without water, our livelihoods are at stake.”

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