Water crisis hits Boro cultivation in Feni

FENI, Mar 23 (UNB): Boro paddy cultivation is being hampered in Sonagazi upazila of Feni district due to lack of irrigation as most canals have dried up in the upazila and water lines in different irrigation projects remain operative.
Boro paddy has been cultivated on 1,800 hectares in Sonagaz upazila in the district in response to the Prime Minister's call to bring all arable land of the country under cultivation to increase food production, said farmers.
But now the dream of thousands of farmers has been shattered due to the water crisis.
In the beginning of the season, the farmers got water from the canals and planted paddy, but now the fields have dried up due to lack of water.
If the field is not watered in a day or two, the crops cultivated will be destroyed, they said.
They said although they informed the Water Development Board to resolve the crisis they are yet to get any response. On the assurance of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the farmers have spent a lot of money to plant Boro paddy saplings.
Farmers said there are more than 50 canals across nine unions and one municipality of the upazila.
Although there is fresh water in the Muhuri River, salt water in the Boro Feni and the Chhoto Feni River, there is no water in the canals for mysterious reasons.
Over the last few years, the canals were renovated spending hundreds of crores of taka but there is no water in the canals, they said. They said they did not get any remedy even after submitting a written application to the upazila nirbahi officer, upazila agriculture officer and the Water Development Board.
According to government estimates this year, the target of Boro cultivation in Sonagazi upazila was on 1,300 hectares. But 1,800 hectares have been cultivated exceeding the target.
Sirajul Islam, a farmer from Charganesh village in the municipality area, said, "If we do not get water, we should be shot dead in the field."
Mizanur Rahman, a farmer of Londoni para of Char Chandia union, said, he and his fellow farmers took loans from banks, NGOs by keeping gold jewelry as mortgage for Boro cultivation.