Masta Ram Singh, a farmer in Gulariya Municipality-1, has been unable to sleep or eat properly since heavy rain and strong winds damaged the paddy he planted three months ago on one bigha of land.

Three days of rain from September 25 to 27 submerged the crop just as he was preparing to harvest it. Singh is now worried about how his family will get through the year.

Last year, he harvested 4 tonnes of paddy from the same area, earning a decent income while producing enough rice to feed his family throughout the year. Farming is his only source of income.

“If the government provides relief to farmers, it would help,” Singh said. “Otherwise, it will be difficult to make a living this year.”

The extensive damage to paddy fields has left farmers across Bardiya worried about their livelihoods.

The situation is similar for Chhataki Tharu of Gulariya-11. She said she had to buy fertiliser at a high price from India this year after failing to obtain enough locally.

Her paddy was damaged by flooding just as she was preparing to harvest it.

“I spent about Rs15,000 on fertiliser, seeds, irrigation and labour for around two bighas of land,” she said. “The paddy is completely ruined. I am worried that I will not even recover what I spent on fertiliser, seeds, irrigation and labour.”

Paddy fields at various stages of harvest have been damaged across all eight local units in the district.

Rupa Lal Yadav of Chhedapur in Gulariya-1 said the paddy he had planted on 12 katthas was damaged by rain and strong winds. The crop had already ripened when floodwater inundated his field, destroying it completely.

He harvested 2.2 tonnes from the same area last year. Although he had cut some of this year’s crop before the rain, he is now drying it on the roadside and says there are far fewer grains on the panicles.

Yadav, too, says it will be difficult to support his family without government relief.

Heavy rain has soaked paddy planted on more than 50,000 hectares across Bardiya. Farmers who had either begun harvesting or were preparing to do so say the rain and strong winds have left them facing major losses.

Rajapur Municipality and Geruwa Rural Municipality, bordered by the Karnali and Geruwa rivers, are known as Bardiya’s rice-producing belt. More than 14,000 hectares are devoted to paddy farming in the area.

According to preliminary information from the Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Development Office in Bardiya, 7 to 8 percent of the paddy crop in the area has been damaged by recent rain and strong winds.

Officials are still collecting damage reports from all eight local units, so a complete assessment will take time, said Phirtu Chaudhary, information officer at the office.

Preliminary reports indicate that around 10 percent of the paddy that was ready for harvest has been flattened, Chaudhary said.

The three days of rain, just before Dashain, have cast a pall over farmers who had been counting on their harvest.

Laxman Tharu of Barbardiya-4 had planned to sell some of his harvested paddy to buy new clothes and enjoy meat and rice with his family during the festival. Instead, the rain damaged his crop.

“In recent years, heavy rain has repeatedly come around the time we harvest paddy, washing away the income we depend on for the rest of the year,” he said.

In 2022, untimely rain and flooding around Dashain also submerged paddy fields.

Farmers say they have repeatedly suffered losses from unseasonal rain during the harvest season without receiving meaningful relief from the state.

“Farmers work extremely hard to grow these crops, and the government should compensate them when their harvest is destroyed,” said Dhruba Singh Banjada of Gulariya-3. “Without compensation, farmers will be forced to endure even greater hardship.”