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22 September 2000 Khammani is the deputy headman of Horpakhel village, in Laos, and in 20 years of farming he has never seen floods so bad. "It used to rain 20 to 30 days at a time in the past but the water level has never risen this high," he said as he looked out on to the three-metre floodwaters that have devastated his rice crop. This village in the southern province of Champasak is just one of many which have been inundated with rising water from the Mekong River. Jang, 67, also lives in Horpakhel, with more than 10 members of his family in a traditional house next to his one-hectare paddy field. Healthy green paddies should be sprouting out of his farmland at this time of the year, instead there is just endless floodwater. Some floodwaters have been reported to be as high as 15 metres, well past the 13.5 metre warning mark. It is the worst situation since the great floods of 1978. The loss of rice crops recorded in Horpakhel is a trend repeated elsewhere. An assessment team from the Lao Red Cross (LRC) and the International Federation has found that the central province of Khammouan has lost more than half of its 42,000 hectares of farmland. While elsewhere in Champasak province, the district of Khong Island, has lost 70 per cent of its 3,500 hectares of rice fields. After losing this harvest, farmers now have to wait at least six months before their next rice crop. Some will be unable to plant until next June, which has serious implications for future food supplies. "I have no idea what to do," laments Jang. "I sit at home all day unable to tend to my land and thinking how to feed my family. I have to try fishing now and see how it helps." Some farmers are thinking of becoming casual labourers until the situation improves while others are considering planting alternative crops such as tobacco and corn. The International Federation has launched an emergency appeal for more than 870,000 Swiss francs (500,000 US dollars) to assist 7,000 families who have lost their homes and/or farmland due to heavy flooding in the central and southern provinces of Laos. The relief operation will be carried out by the Lao Red Cross Society over a three-month period. This appeal is in addition to other appeals for floods in the region, where Cambodia and Vietnam have also been badly affected by flooding. The Lao Red Cross is distributing 7,000 family kits to the most vulnerable in two provinces. The kits contain sticky rice, noodles, sardines, blankets, mosquito nets and water purifying tablets. The LRC branch in the capital, Vientiane, has launched a smaller operation targeting families in two villages. The branch will distribute "mini" family kits containing 5 kg of sticky rice, noodles and drinking water. "We hope this would help alleviate some of the suffering of the families affected by the floods," says Dr. Snivourast Saramny, President of the LRC. Other LRC branches are organising similar assistance programmes. Longer term rehabilitation is already being addressed. Planting is set to begin again in the next wet season, but with the current loss of income, several farmers will struggle to raise money for seeds. In Horpakhel, Khammani said that villagers are concerned about the future. "Our village is planning a meeting to see how we can overcome this situation," he said. "But we really hope someone could help us with seed money." |
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Mr
Jang's rice crops were destroyed by the floods and he has taken up
fishing to try and get food for his family. (p5685).
