Dr Upasana & Anoop Khajuria
anoopkhajuria@gmail.com
One has to bend low, almost upon the knees, to behold the vast green carpet of paddy kernels swaying gently with the breeze drifting in from the west. This emerald expanse, though still deep green, will soon take on a golden hue as time ripens it, releasing a sweet fragrance that heralds the harvest. Then, in the shellers, husk and bran will be separated to reveal the slender, translucent grains proudly branded as R.S. Pura Basmati rice.
This fertile belt-stretching from R.S. Pura to Arnia, skirting the international border with Pakistan, and extending southwards to the banks of the Ravi River-is celebrated as the “Basmati bowl” of the Jammu region. Its fragrant grain is cherished not only in local kitchens but also travels across India and abroad, carrying with it the essence of Jammu’s soil and air.
Yet, beneath this picture of abundance lies a quiet struggle. The once-dependable climate has begun to waver. While the Shivalik ranges and the middle Himalayas have been ravaged by torrential rains-mountains crumbling into torrents of mud and rock, rivers swelling into floods-the paddy fields of Jammu have told a different story. Until a fortnight ago, the bowl received moderate showers. Then came the blazing sun and searing heat, sucking the moisture from the soil, leaving the surface parched and the crop gasping at the threshold of water stress. The closure of the Ranbir Canal system has only deepened the woes of farmers, compounding their anxiety.
A century ago, before 1912, this land was entirely rainfed, dependent on the mercy of the monsoon skies. The Ranbir Canal, once a boon that transformed the landscape into the granary of Jammu, now lies silent, reminding farmers of an era when water was promise and plenty. Today, in the face of climate change, the same farmers find themselves once again staring into the uncertainties of rain and the unforgiving sun.
“The paddy fields are fast losing moisture. Most of us have sown traditional Basmati which will take another month and a half to ripen. I have sown ninety percent of my fields with Basmati rice. With the Ranbir Canal closed due to breaches near the Tawi, our crop is on the verge of collapse,” says Purshottam Lal, a progressive farmer from Arnia.
The rice belt depends largely on the waters of the Chenab, brought to these border areas by the legendary Ranbir Canal. However, many villages near the border, where canal water does not reach, have dug borewells for groundwater. Recent torrential rains breached the main Ranbir Canal and its distributary D-9 by 30-40 meters. Though repair work is underway, the pace is slow. Farmers from Miran Sahib, Kirpind, Dablehar, Chakroi, and R.S. Pura-whose landholdings lie along the canal-are a worried lot.
“If it does not rain this week or canal water doesn’t reach us, we are certain to lose our crops,” says Shiv Dev Singh of village Pindi Charka. Thousands of acres of paddy plantations are now on the verge of drying up prematurely under excessive heat. The conditions in this belt are an undeniable outcome of climate change: micro-climatic zones of excessive rains and near-drought lying side by side in a small region.
Hardev Singh of village Kaku de Kothey near Arnia reflects on the erratic weather patterns:
“Earlier, even if rains failed, the canal water replenished our fields. Now, with the canal silent and leaders ignoring us, farmers are left at the mercy of God.”
A survey of villages along the international border-Badyal Kajian, Sai Pindi, Seer Bala, Suchetgarh, and Badila Chahwala-shows they rely almost entirely on groundwater, which is becoming scarce.
“In the absence of canal water, flow diminishes before reaching our fields. Groundwater has been over-exploited. Whatever recharge occurred from rains has already been exhausted. The situation is alarming,” warns Kavi Dutt of Chumbian Pandita in Bishnah.
The woes of farmers and common citizens reflect the scale of devastation in Northern India: torrential rains on one hand, and near-drought conditions on the other. This is not just a warning-it is a climate emergency. Weather systems stand disrupted, linked directly to climate change. The time for calling such occurrences a “wake-up call” has passed. What stands before farmers, citizens, and policymakers alike is the stark reality of adaptation. Unless urgent measures are taken to mitigate the perils of climate change, the fragrant legacy of R.S. Pura Basmati may itself wither away.
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