Refugees who fled Paletwa Township in Chin State and are taking shelter in Tuidang Village, Lawngtlai District, Mizoram State, India, fear their livelihood hardships will worsen as rats destroy their rice fields.
Tuidang Village Council officials have permitted Paletwa refugees to take shelter and even allowed them to farm about a mile from the village.
Around 200 households displaced from Paletwa are living in Tuidang Village, with more than half engaged in rice farming. Now, as the rice ripens, rats are rampant, causing widespread damage across acres of farmland.
“”We grow rice on an acre of land, but now almost half of it is gone. As soon as the grains start to ripen, the rats come and eat them, so we can’t get the rice we were expecting. Since we are taking refuge in another country, growing rice is our only way to make a living. We’re really worried about this rat problem,” a displaced Paletwa local in Tuidang Village told Khonumthung.
Paletwa refugees said that this is the season when bamboo trees bloom, making rats more likely to become rampant. The rats are not only invading their rice fields but also entering their homes and causing damage.
“Rats come in all sizes. The small ones, just about the size of a finger, can tear the panicles apart, and they actually cause more damage than the big ones. The bigger rats are as large as a grown man’s arm. Now they’re even getting into our homes, eating up the rice we’ve stored and chewing our clothes. It’s really terrible,” the aforementioned source added.
Paletwa refugees planted rice hoping to have enough food for the next six months to a year, but now they have to worry about food security.
Up to now, no effective support for pest control has been provided. The refugees have tried to manage the rats by setting traps themselves, but their efforts have had little success.
photo credit – CJ