Rubber dam becomes a boon for Rajshahi farmers

RAJSHAHI, Dec 19 (BSS): The Rubber dam in the Baranai River has become a boon for farmers as they are being benefited enormously by availing irrigation water from the embankment in the region for the last couple of years.

The dam also eased the living and livelihood conditions of hundreds of thousands of people residing on both sides of the Baranai River.

Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) installed the dam in Baranai River at Jagadishpur of Puthiya upazila in the district around two years back, opening up fortunes of scores of people.

At present, they are cultivating around 15 types of crops and vegetables, including potato, brinjal, onion and mustard, on around 5,000 hectares of char (river bed) lands in Manda, Bagmara, Naldanga and Puthiya upazilas availing irrigation water accumulated by the rubber dam.

The vast tracts of lands were brought under irrigation through using 200 pumps installed in 20 canals and other adjacent areas on both sides of the river.

Yeasin Ali, a farmer of Kachari Koaliapara, said the farmers had to suffer a lot before installing the rubber dam as the river remained dry almost round the year just after ending the monsoon. But the odd situation has gone at present.