SYLHET, July 01: On a backdrop of crop loss worth Tk 9.97 billion with 170,152 farmers affected due to this year's heavy rain and waterlogging, the WDB will implement a drainage outlet installation project to counter these problems, according to the DAE.
Such weather conditions were a newly emerging problem in the haors resulting from climate change, sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said.
As part of the project, drainage outlets will be installed at 60 locations in various haors in Sunamganj and the initial cost of this project has been estimated at Tk 300 million.
Officials of Water Development Board (WDB) said rainwater can not be drained from croplands as embankments are all around the haor region, which protects the crops from floods. The DAE and WDB believe that such rain waterlogging in April and May this year has been a new experience for locals.
Kaisar Alam, acting chief engineer of North Eastern Zone, WDB, said they are implementing the project on the basis of a feasibility study on the haors by the Institute of Water Modelling.
"We have to save people's lives by protecting crops at any cost. Therefore, the project to install drainage outlets to protect crops is being implemented," he said.
"For now, it is necessary to install drainage outlets at 60 places in Sunamganj's haors and armoring the haor protection embankments," he said, adding that 26 places in the haor protection embankments in Sunamganj had to be cut to drain the accumulated water. Engineers and officials said that the project is being designed while the work will start after final approval in the dry season. The livelihood of people living in the haor areas of the northeastern part of the country is largely dependent on agriculture, with Boro paddy being the main crop of the region. Natural disasters including landslides, early flood, heavy rain, and river erosion occur every year severely affecting residents' health, education and housing. The risk of flood damage is rising in Sylhet division as the government has to spend heavily every year to manage the situation. Residents of haor region have also been suffering due to the filling of haors, rivers, and canals.
forsylhet@gmail.com