The farmers of a several villages in Shailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah are facing huge loss as the irrigation canals built under Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation project overflows during the rainy season and flood the croplands every year.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) authorities are not re-excavating the drainage canals for decades and as a result, the canals remain waterlogged during the rainy season.
The farmers could harvest at least 18,000 tonnes of paddy worth Tk over 45 crores in every season. But they are facing huge losses due to the waterlogged canals that overflow during the rainy season and flood the crop fields during monsoon.
However, BWDB field level officials have blamed the farmers for the filling up of the drainage canals saying the situation became worse as the farmers use these canals for jute retting. To submerge the jutes in the canal, they put banana plants or mud over them. However, when the jute retting is complete they do not remove the banana plants or mud from the canals. As a result, the canals fill up with debris, the flow of water decreases and they overflow during the rainy season, flooding the croplands.
When this correspondent visited a number of villages like Jalsuka, Sadhuhati, Nagpara, Koupara, Naupara, Harihara and Paikpara inShailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah on Friday, it was seen that that the irrigation canal, namely D5K, started from BWDB regulator at Jalsuka village, and ended at Nagirat village which sends the rain water in River Kumar. Rainwater along with other excessive water is usually discharged through the BWDB canals. But the canals were blocked as the authority did not re-excavate or dig them for a couple of decades. Farmer Uzzal Alam and Shablur Rahman of Jalsuka village, when contacted said most of their croplands go under water when its rain heavily.
Moreover, for last couple of years, they were not able meet any employee or officials of the BWDB to talk about this problem who could solve their problems. Meantime, the famers continue to face massive financial losses as their lands remain under water in the rainy season, leaving the paddy and other crops under stagnant water.
The farmers said they could produce at least 18 thousand tonnes of paddy worth Tk 45 crores during the Aman season, which could change the socio-economic condition of the farmers of Manoharpur union, Hakimpur union, Bogura union and Shailkupa municipality.
Bikarna Kumar Biswas, Section Officer (SO) of the BWDB serving in Jhenaidah when contacted blamed the farmers for their ignorance as they dump their jute for rotting in the canal water. They do not clean the canals for smooth water flow towards the river. He said the drainage canals are not re-excavated for last couple of decades. Only portions of some of the canals are re-excavated sometimes by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) or other departments anyway.
However, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah had removed huge rain water by opening the regulatory gates of irrigation canals using cranes from a number of places when the crop fields went under incessant rainwater last week.
Abdul Hamid, Superintending Engineer (SE) and Project Director (PD) of the Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project in Kushtia when contacted said they had submitted a proposal to the Planning Commission with a budget of Tk 25 hundred crore. The budget was required for bridge, culvert, re-excavation of canals, sluice gates and roads construction and maintenance in Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah and Magura districts. However, a budget of Tk 13 crores was approved in the pre-ECNCEC meeting. They are waiting for the next course of action about the project, said the Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project Director.
