Solar irrigation pumps a boon for Jhenidah farmers

JHENIDAH, June 20: Installation of solar irrigation pumps has turned to be a boon for many farmers in Jhenidah district as the devices are helping boost production of crops and reduce irrigation cost considerably.

Two pumps in Jhenidah Sadar upazila and two in Kaligonj upazila have been lifting water to the farmers from during the last Boro season. Besides, more 11 pumps - six in sadar, three in Kaligonj and two in Harinakundu upazila are going to be installed soon.

AID (Action in Development), an NGO, has signed an agreement with B-Trac Engineering Ltd. and Energy Trac Electronics, enlisted supplier of IDCOL (Infrastructure Development Company Limited) approved by Bangladesh Govt for installation of the 11 irrigation pumps in the upazilas.

Moreover, AID sent a proposal to IDCOL for establishing 37 irrigation pumps at 25 sites in the district. However, IDCOL has determined to install 29 pumps at 19 places after feasibility study at the places. The company told that due to excess level of arsenic at the rest of the places, pumps cannot be established.

While taking water from traditional irrigation shallow machine, the farmers concerned are to remain in the fields to maintain water as water goes through conventional canals in the system.

However, at present due to modern method, water reaches the riser points of solar pumps through underground pipelines. As a result, farmers need not waste time being present physically during watering of their fields.

Programme Coordinator (PC) Chandan Bose Mukto told this correspondent that the expenditure of a 12-HP (Horsepower) pump is Tk 3.05 million sans land while that of 18-HP pump is Tk 3.8 million without land.

Depending on the nature of land and water level in a particular area, capacity of coverage irrigation area varies. At Chaprail village under Sadar upazila more water is needed for irrigation because of bele-doyash soil. In case of entirely doyash soil and lower land, coverage of irrigation land   of solar pump increases.    [email protected]