Arable land all over the country is disappearing fast in the wake of population boom, unplanned housing and illegal grabbing. The rate of decrease has been estimated at 1.0% of total farm land annually. Experts say that if the present trend of indiscriminate use of agricultural land for housing and other purposes continues, soon there will be no place left for producing food.
In the backdrop of the prevailing situation relating to use of farm land, the government plans to build multi-storeyed buildings for housing in rural areas. A report published in The Financial Express (FE) on August 18 last says that in order to save arable lands the government will construct high-rise buildings for rural people at a cost of Taka 4.24 billion. Quoting a high government official, the report says that the multi-storeyed buildings under 'Palli Janapad' project will provide all essential amenities. So far as allotment of flats is concerned, priority will be given to the expatriate Bangladeshis.
The government plans to build the houses in areas under seven divisions -- Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Rangpur. The FE report further says, the main objective of the housing project is to save arable land, ensure food security and raising living standard of rural people. The government also includes setting up of biogas plants, solar panels, harvesting of rain water and training courses on income generating means under the project.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in a meeting held on August 19 approved Palli Janapad Project to be implemented at a cost of Taka 4.24 billion. The project was undertaken in 1996 but due to bureaucratic bottleneck its approval has been delayed. Planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told journalists after the ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinain the chair that Rural Development Academy, Bogra and Centre for Irrigation and Water Management will implement the project. The sites for the housing scheme under Palli Janapad will be selected where the concentration of expatriate Bangladeshis is higher. The overseas employees mostly purchase lands by their money earned abroad. As a result 1.0% of arable land is being lost every year. The planning minister observed that vast tracts of arable land will be saved after implementation of the project.
In fact, shrinking of farm land is threatening food security as well as causing serious environmental hazards. The situation has come to such a pass, as we reported earlier in this column, that if the housing societies continue their present activities, no arable land will be available in the country after 60 years, according to a former state minister of housing and public works. The state minister had stated that the grabbers do not hesitate to invest money on marshy tracts or submerged lands. The grabbers can do it because they are sitting on tonnes of money, the minister said and regretted that the building code is not being followed properly.
Nearly four years ago, the government had announced a plan for building four new satellite townships to check the influx of people to the capital. The satellite townships with high-rise buildings for rural families were planned to save arable land. But the government plan could not be implemented. It is evident that the authorities concerned are helpless in the face of aggression on land by a large number of real estate companies and other politically influential people.
The government measures taken so far to prevent land grabbing remain quite inadequate and that too are mainly concentrated in and around Dhaka city. The other major cities, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna and Barisal, are hardly protected against the fast tempo of unplanned urbanisation. Experts have put emphasis on comprehensive planning of housing system right at the moment to save arable land. Climate change which is likely to result in frequent and erratic rainfalls, flooding and cyclones should be considered while planning housing system. Experts are of the opinion that compact townships in planned areas provide shelter to more people instated of houses built on small pieces of land.
Noted engineer Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury had earlier expressed the view at a conference in the city that once the level of the houses are raised, the occupants can be protected against floods and cyclones. The traditional houses are not suitable for facing disasters. With regard to indiscriminate use of agricultural land for other purposes, Professor Choudhury says that soon there will be no place to produce food. Addressing the conference, economist QK Ahmad viewed that the growing population and decrease of arable land by one percent annually were indeed alarming.
It is high time that we should take effective measures to protect our land from unauthorised grabbing, make the best use of it under well thought-out plans and check population boom for the sake of our very survival.
E-mail : khalilbdh@gmail.com
Protecting arable land
Khalilur Rahman | Published: August 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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