Out of 381,898 hectares of cultivable land in Madhesh Province, only 49 percent is irrigated. Although the federal and provincial governments introduced plans to address irrigation problems by installing deep borings, most projects have remained incomplete due to budget constraints, leaving farmers still dependent on rainfall.
In the past five years, a total of 55 deep borings, 33 in Mahottari and 22 in Dhanusha, have been installed, but most have not come into operation.
Similarly, 216 power drill tubewells have been installed, 43 in Mahottari and 123 in Dhanusha, but 110 of them are still non-operational, according to Samij Raja Sahani, Chief (D.E.) of the Groundwater Resources and Irrigation Development Division Office, Mahottari.
Farmer Ram Kumar Yadav from Manara Sisawa Municipality–10 said, “We have suffered for years in the hope of getting water from deep borings, but our fields are still dry. Our livelihood depends entirely on farming, but without proper irrigation, the yield is not as expected.”
Similarly, farmer Sita Devi Yadav from Dhanusha Municipality–3 said, “Due to stalled government projects, we are forced to rely solely on rainfall.” Jay Bahadur Mahato from Aurahi Rural Municipality–5 expressed concern, saying, “Due to a lack of irrigation facilities, our production is declining. This is lowering the standard of living of farmers. We are worried as we have no other means to manage household expenses, children’s education, and healthcare apart from farming.”
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Yadav, Provincial Secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Madhesh Province, stated that limited budgets and poor management have hindered the effective use of deep borings. He emphasized the need for the provincial government to be more active in ensuring farmers’ rights.
According to Secretary Yadav, in the last fiscal year 2023/24, 405 farmers in Parsa, 312 in Rautahat, 304 in Bara, 300 in Dhanusha, 232 in Saptari, 209 in Siraha, 205 in Mahottari, and 154 in Sarlahi received shallow tubewells. The ministry has stated that cost collection is underway for distribution in the current fiscal year.
Experts in geology and environmental science argue that unless the Chure forest region is conserved and the unchecked extraction of stones, gravel, and sand is controlled, deep borings alone cannot solve the groundwater crisis.