9,000 deep tube-wells ready for free irrigation in northwestern region
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
RAJSHAHI, July 28 (BSS): The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has kept over 9,000 deep tubewells ready to provide farmers with irrigation free of cost to protect the Aman production from the dearth of monsoon rains in northwestern Bangladesh.
If necessary, Additional Chief Engineer of BMDA Khalequzzaman said that 9,470 deep tubewells out of its total 11,700 would be made functional in the region including its vast tract of Barind area according to the government instruction.
He said, the BMDA, a pioneer state-owned authority to provide irrigation to the region's farmlands, would operate the power- driven deep tube-wells for irrigating at least 1.89 million (18.94 lakh) bigha of rice fields.
Khalequzzaman said that around 900 deep tubewells had so far been brought under the irrigation purposes that had created sensation among the beneficiary farmers but, in some areas, the irrigation activities were being hampered badly due to the erratic power supply.
He also said that the farmers in some northern districts had involved in plantation activities in full swing as they had been experiencing slight to moderate rainfall for the last couple of days.
However, he said, there has been no significant rainfall in some of the Barind tract for the last couple of weeks, leaving the soil parched, cracked and unsuitable for tilling, while seedlings already planted or prepared for planting are withering.
"I have never seen such type of prolonged absence of rainfall during my over 60-year working life in the Barind area," said Abdur Rahim, a farmer of Paba Upazila of Rajshahi adding that the Aman paddy is always a rain-fed cultivation which needs barely supplementary irrigation.
The situation is alarming as sufficient water for the paddy crop was not available due to the prolonged drought like condition.
Cultivation of Aman, traditionally considered profitable for the framers, is like to face a serious setback due to the drought-like situation prevailing in northern region during the ongoing rainy season.
Farmers of the drought-prone area could not transplant aman seedlings in their lands due to absence of rainfall for over a month while the seedlings transplanted earlier are turning reddish.
The DAE has set a target of bringing around 1.81 million hectares under the T-aman cultivation in 16 districts under Rajshahi division.
If necessary, Additional Chief Engineer of BMDA Khalequzzaman said that 9,470 deep tubewells out of its total 11,700 would be made functional in the region including its vast tract of Barind area according to the government instruction.
He said, the BMDA, a pioneer state-owned authority to provide irrigation to the region's farmlands, would operate the power- driven deep tube-wells for irrigating at least 1.89 million (18.94 lakh) bigha of rice fields.
Khalequzzaman said that around 900 deep tubewells had so far been brought under the irrigation purposes that had created sensation among the beneficiary farmers but, in some areas, the irrigation activities were being hampered badly due to the erratic power supply.
He also said that the farmers in some northern districts had involved in plantation activities in full swing as they had been experiencing slight to moderate rainfall for the last couple of days.
However, he said, there has been no significant rainfall in some of the Barind tract for the last couple of weeks, leaving the soil parched, cracked and unsuitable for tilling, while seedlings already planted or prepared for planting are withering.
"I have never seen such type of prolonged absence of rainfall during my over 60-year working life in the Barind area," said Abdur Rahim, a farmer of Paba Upazila of Rajshahi adding that the Aman paddy is always a rain-fed cultivation which needs barely supplementary irrigation.
The situation is alarming as sufficient water for the paddy crop was not available due to the prolonged drought like condition.
Cultivation of Aman, traditionally considered profitable for the framers, is like to face a serious setback due to the drought-like situation prevailing in northern region during the ongoing rainy season.
Farmers of the drought-prone area could not transplant aman seedlings in their lands due to absence of rainfall for over a month while the seedlings transplanted earlier are turning reddish.
The DAE has set a target of bringing around 1.81 million hectares under the T-aman cultivation in 16 districts under Rajshahi division.