Increasing salinity damages fertile farmlands

The agriculture minister recently told parliament that salinity intruded into about 1.65 million hectares of lands. During the last 40 years, a total of 2.3 million hectares came under salinity scourge. From 2002 up to this time, 0.39 per cent of our land has been affected by saltiness. Salinity rises every year and the rate is about 27 per cent.

According to the Mirtrika Sompod Unnayan institute (SRGI), in 1997, the salty land was about 45.35 per cent. It increased to 63 per cent, which is a matter of great concern today. At present, in south-western coastal areas, almost every river, big or small, contains salty water which intrudes into cultivable lands. So these lands become barren.

Cultivable lands in 100 upazilas, about 148 kilometres from the sea coast, have become victims of salinity. In recent years, due to climate change, the sea level has risen. The Padma river is losing its water level with saline water intruding gradually. As a result of saltiness, agricultural production has suffered a setback. Twenty million people live in 13 districts of the southern region of the country. Most of the people's occupation is agriculture. But the climate change has turned agriculture into a hazardous occupation.

According to a report of the Centre for Global Change, there are three causes for salinity in the coastal areas. Firstly, water flow of the rivers coming from the upper streams has dropped by 60 per cent, thus resulting in salinity. Secondly, withdrawal of underground water has further added to it. Thirdly, global warming is causing sea level to rise. As a result, salty sea water is inundating the cultivable lands. Besides these, salty sea water could not be stopped by dams built four decades ago. The Aila and the Sidr disasters damaged  466 kilometres of dams which could not be rebuilt. As a result, saline water enters through these damaged dams, making 1,00,000 acres of lands uncultivable.  

Dr. Ahsan Uddin, Director of the Centre for Global Change said, if there is a question as to whether the climate change is responsible for the change of the world, the answer will be short and it is 'yes'.

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