BANKE: Local farmers have been elated with the Rapti River water channelizing to their paddy fields through the Banke-based under-construction national pride Sikta Project.

The paddy fields of farmers have been irrigated when the project keeping into consideration the paddy plantation season opened the western main canal and eastern canal.

Man Bahadur Magar, a local farmer of Duduwa rural municiplaity-5, Kamdi, said this year the farmers got a chance to have paddy planted on time with the canal water reaching out to the fields.

“We usually had to rely on rainfall during the paddy plantation season. The Sikta water availability has made it easier for farmers for plantation”.

Duduwa-5 ward chair Parshuram Budhathoki informed that the farmers of Kamdi village have started earning money from vegetable farming with the opportunity of irrigation facility.

Project Director Lok Bahadur Thapa confirmed that the water channelized from western main canal has reached to the farmers’ field at Jethi Nala and the eastern canal water to different branches and sub-branches for irrigation. “The canals were made open in keeping with the paddy plantation season.” RSS