Chandauli under threat to lose status of 'Rice Bowl of UP'

Chandauli, UP, June 29 (UNI) Hundreds of farmers of this Maoist-affected district, popularly known as 'Rice bowl of east Uttar Pradesh', are on the brink of starvation with monsoon threatening to elude the region for fourth year in succession.

The positive results of the anti-naxal movement may have been a boon for the residents of this Terai town in Vindhya-Kaimoor range but the drought-like conditions have hit hard this agriculturally rich part of the East UP.

Despite the well defined network of canals, as the erstwhile kings of Kashi Kingdom had shown interest in water management and they created many dams in the hill areas of Naugarh, rice production in this area is under threat due to drought like conditions. Rice grown in this area is also exported.

The irrigation system in the region has collapsed and the ground water level was decreasing with every passing day. Chandauli is finding it hard to maintain its status of 'rice bowl of East UP'.

''Yes, the situation is alarming due to 'no-rains' over a period of last three years and some drastic measures are extremely neccessary to be put in place, District Magistrate Mukesh Mohan Mishra told UNI.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, the UP government has rushed a team of senior officers of the irigation department to handle exigencies.

The district administration has suggested the area to be denotified and 'saturated with hand pumps', the DM said while admitting the nature's wrath was just too much for the agriculture of the region.

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