Kathmandu, Aug 2 (PTI) Several districts in Nepal’s Madhes Prades, grappling with a prolonged dry spell since the start of the monsoon season, received moderate to heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours offering much-needed relief to farmers, officials said on Saturday.
Seven of the eight districts in the southern province in Terai plains recorded rainfall of varying intensity, helping ease drought conditions that had severely disrupted paddy cultivation, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM).
Dhanusha and Mahottari districts saw the heaviest showers, with Tulsi Centre in Dhanusha recording 63.8 mm and Hardinath 51 mm rainfall over the last 24 hours. Bara’s Amlekhgunj received 46.4 mm while Gaur in Rautahat logged 44.6 mm, DHM spokesperson Bibhuti Pokharel said while sharing the data for 24 hours ending at 9:00 am local time Saturday.
Other significant rainfall readings include 37.6 mm in Molgaun (Sarlahi), 32.4 mm in Gaurigaun (Mahottari) and 25.8 mm in Parwanipur (Sarlahi). However, Parsa district remained dry.
The rain has revived hopes among farmers in the Madhesh province, with many resuming paddy transplantation. Only 35 per cent of the plantation had been completed before the showers. Madhes Prades accounts for over 16 per cent of Nepal’s rice production.
Earlier, the government had declared several areas in the province as crisis-hit due to the lack of rainfall, which had affected thousands dependent on agriculture.
The Madhes province had received less than average rainfall from June 1 till July 16. However, in some parts of the Terai, the rainfall was up to 50 per cent less than the long period average, which is the average rainfall in a given region received over a long time, usually 30 years.
The severe drought conditions had prompted the Nepal government to declare Madhesh Province as a disaster-affected zone on July 23. The acute water shortage and prolonged drought had severely disrupted agriculture and drinking water supplies in the region. PTI SBP SKS NPK NPK