Madhesh Drought- Dry Land Uncertain Future
Rahul Dewan, Anish Raj Shrestha
Nepal’s Madhesh region bore the brunt of this summer’s heat. Although above-rainfall was projected, Madhesh’s anticipation turned into disappointment. While the rest of Nepal experience some cooling, the situation in Madhesh province was dire. Farmland and arable soil cracked under the drought, and families struggled to meet their water needs for drinking and household chores. Amidst this crisis, it was women and especially women farmers who suffered the most, shouldering the responsibilities of crops, livestock and their families.
“Miles to walk before I sleep….”
“I currently have to walk one hour to fetch water for household chores and drinking, as the wells have dried up due to the drought for drinking water as wells are dried up due to the drought,” Kalpana says. “I even have to do this at night, risking my safety from wild animals along the way, because when water is needed, there’s no other choice.”
Kalpana Saday is a resident of Nainpur Saday tole in Siraha district. She comes from marginalized Dalit community, which have been severely impacted due to the recent drought in Madhesh. She undertakes this exhausting journey day in and day out to meet her family’s water needs, risking her life on in the process.
Kalpana’s testimony is just one of many unheard voices in the community. Women, children and the elderly now spend hours each day searching for water. The weight of this crisis falls heaviest on those already vulnerable and marginalized. Kalpana’s story is more than a personal struggle, it is an urgent wake up call for equitable actions the face of a dire adversity. This journey is not only the journey of Kamala but of all women in her region. This has been the plight of the women in the Madhesh province as drought impacted the region.
In the extreme heat conditions, the community faces a massive ordeal as the traditional water sources such as springs, submersible motor boring, and wells have dried up making the life of women difficult. In Ward No. 11 of Dhangadhimai Municipality, Siraha, the impact of this prolonged drought is visible in the communities. 125 households in Baluwa Tole, Nainpur Saday Tole, and Shantipur are facing drinking water crisis.
In Mahottari, same is the situation in the communities and have severely implications for communities. For the past three months, there has been no rainfall. The wells have dried up as during the season for crop plantation there has been no water for irrigation. Standing under the extreme heat, female small-holder farmers sat in a group to provide a picture of the extreme circumstances which they are faced with.
“It has been three months that there has been no rain. We haven’t been able to start the plantation of paddy. We are under extreme distress as this has really affected our daily lifelines. If we are not able to irrigate our lands, how will we eat?”-said the community member.
Across the village, similar scenes unfold. Every morning, woman group queued up in front of the relief water tanker which are few remaining water points and must wait from 3 to 5 hours in hopes of water. This hope often leads to disappointment as the available water is not enough for all. This isn’t the story of one family, or even a few. It is the collective reality of an entire communities who are faced with a severe drought and extreme heat conditions.
Madhesh Drought: Climate Change,Uncertain Pathway and Saving Common Resources
Madhesh Drought is not a surprising phenomenon, but a predicted outcome that experts had projected decades ago. Some even warns that the region could face desertification as ground water has been depleting for years. This year, Madhesh Province government declared the region a ‘Drought-Hit Zone,’ followed by Government of Nepal declaring the emergency for three months. But it is the women who bear brunt of this calamity.
The changing pattern of the rain pattern has been evident in showcasing how the climate change is impacting to the lives of the people and hit hard to the most vulnerable and marginalized one. It has not only affected to the daily lives, but it has also severe impact in the agriculture where the region is known as agricultural basket of the country.
“We are seeing more than crop failures we are losing resilience,” says Dr. Krishna Paudel – Agricultural Policy Analyst/Activist. He further explained, “We need long-term solutions like the promotion of agroecology, expansion of reservoirs in the Chure range, and regeneration of local ecosystems. The Chure Range is the lifeline of Madhesh, and its degradation is a national crisis.” He further called for future-focused adaptation, warning that unsustainable groundwater extraction could permanently damage Nepal’s ecological balance and way forward for the desertification.
Along with the uncertain future of the agriculture in years to come with the challenges of depleting ground water, the issues also remain on how the common resources of water like spring, pond for which the most and vulnerable communities are dependent upon. This impact of climate change also put risk into the common resources that communities rely on, otherwise for the sake of water it would be women again who must walk miles before they sleep…