Padinjarathara: Vast stretches of paddy fields that once thrived during the puncha season now lie barren in Padinjarathara panchayat in Wayanad district, as the lack of irrigation facilities has forced farmers to abandon cultivation across several acres.

Puncha cultivation has remained stalled for years in the Puthusserikkadavu and Kuppadithara regions of the panchayat, which once recorded the largest amount of paddy cultivation in the district. Farmers in these areas had long relied on water from the Puthusserikkadavu river to irrigate their fields by constructing a temporary check dam across the river and pumping water through a pump house. However, the collapse of these arrangements has led to the disruption of cultivation.

Authorities are yet to take steps to restore these irrigation facilities, while several irrigation projects for which large sums were spent remain incomplete.

Farmers recall that puncha cultivation was once carried out successfully in these areas. With its decline, drought conditions in the region have intensified. When paddy cultivation was active, moisture levels in the fields remained high and water was readily available in wells and other water sources.

Earlier, farmers were given assistance to cultivate pulses as an alternative when puncha farming declined. However, that support too appears to have ceased in recent years. Farmers are now demanding that irrigation projects in the region be revived and adequate water be made available to resume cultivation.