Guwahati: Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan on Monday urged the Assam government to declare the Golaghat district’s Sarupathar constituency a drought-hit area, saying a prolonged dry spell has crippled farming activity and left agricultural fields cracked during the ongoing kharif season.
The appeal comes even as six districts of Assam continue to battle floods, highlighting the contrasting weather conditions across the state. Phukan made the demand after visiting drought-affected villages to assess the impact of the rain deficit on cultivation.
“The entire Sarupathar constituency is facing drought-like conditions this year. Farmers have failed to carry out cultivation due to the lack of water for irrigation. Although they made efforts and had already prepared their fields, the soil has now cracked up,” he said.
Phukan urged the government to declare the constituency drought-hit and introduce special relief measures for affected farmers.
He said Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika had already reviewed the prevailing situation and initiated measures, including the distribution of solar-powered irrigation pumps.
“I hope special schemes will also be adopted to address the issues faced by Sarupathar farmers,” he said.
Farmers across the constituency have struggled to begin paddy cultivation during the ongoing season. Many attempted to prepare seedbeds using water from ponds and streams, but the continued absence of rainfall has caused the seedbeds to dry up.
Phukan said the situation resembled that of 2021, when inadequate rainfall prompted the Assam government to declare Sarupathar a drought-hit area and extend relief to affected farmers.
“A similar situation arose in 2021, following which the Assam Cabinet declared the region drought-hit under Golaghat district. The present situation bears strong similarities to that period,” he said.
The dry spell has also renewed concerns over irrigation infrastructure in the region. Several farming areas in Golaghat remain dependent on monsoon rainfall because of inadequate or defunct irrigation systems, leaving cultivators vulnerable during prolonged dry spells.
With rainfall remaining elusive, farmers fear the prolonged dry spell could affect both agricultural output and livelihoods if immediate relief measures are not introduced.