Nepal, July 24 -- Chitwan, a district in the Bagmati Province, has not received adequate rainfall this monsoon, even as the third week of July has passed.

The delayed monsoon has adversely affected rain-dependent agriculture, particularly paddy transplantation.

Farmers who had managed to transplant paddy using irrigation are now worrying as recently planted seedlings are drying up in the fields.

Water levels in local sources, including rivers and streams, have dropped considerably, stoking creating further challenges in managing irrigation.

In western Chitwan, under the Bharatpur Metropolitan City, farmers primarily rely on the Narayani Lift Irrigation System for irrigation. However, due to a sharp decline in water levels in the Kha...