Standing beside his fallow land, Muntaj Ali, laments how he failed to grow rice on a two-bigha land in absence of irrigation facilities. The command area of the local deep tube-well could not cover his land though in a relatively low-lying area in Foratpur village under Godagari upazila, Rajshahi. A four-kilometre canal connected to this area turns into plane land due to siltation, making it almost impossible to discharge rainwater and floodwater.  | | We cannot grow crops that need water during the dry season and again we cannot cultivate land during autumn after the rainy season due to water-logging |  | | Muntaj Ali, a farmer |
“We cannot grow crops that need water during the dry season and again we cannot cultivate land during autumn after the rainy season due to water-logging, Muntaj, a farmer of the village, said about the necessity of a vibrant canal adjoining the farmland area. He added that farmers of this area could have produced three crops if there could be controlled irrigation system instead of virtually mono-crop patter. Abdul Khaleq, another farmer of Palpara village, who grow rice on two bighas of land, echoed the sentiment of Muntaj. “We could have properly cultivated winter vegetables, had there been surface water irrigation available through the canal full of water,” he said appreciating the World Food Programme’s supports for re-excavation of of 4.5-kilometre canal in their neighbourhood. Shafiqul Islam of nearby Dharompur village said the government’s Barind project was now facing serious setback in providing water extracted from underground due to fall in water level affecting the cultivation and yields of Boro rice. | | If the project is implemented properly — for re-excavation of canals and ponds —, it will immensely benefit the local farmers | | | Mohammad Yasin Ali, Acting Upazila officer in charge of Department of Agriculture Extension in Godagari |
Chairman of Nobodas union parishad Mosharraf Hossain also said drought that visited the entire northern region during the season affected yields of and irrigation for Boro rice cultivation. He suggested that local people could have been benefited if they were provided with surface water irrigation meant for alternative crops. Acting Upazila officer in charge of Department of Agriculture Extension in Godagari Mohammad Yasin Ali confirmed the fall in underground water level. “If the project is implemented properly — for re-excavation of canals and ponds —, it will immensely benefit the local farmers,” he expressed his views. |
