Due to the massive digging of ponds in Tarash, Ullapara and Raiganj upazilas of Sirajganj, the existence of more than a hundred irrigation projects has been threatened due to the reduction of cultivable land. The government has suffered a financial loss of about 150 million taka due to the closure of these projects. As agricultural land has been converted into ponds, there has also been a crisis in crop production.
Farmers used to produce crops using natural water sources in the traditional way. But since the 1980s, as rivers and canals dried up, they became dependent on groundwater. The extraction of groundwater through shallow engines brought about a huge change in the agricultural sector. However, due to excessive water use, the groundwater level dropped rapidly in the 1990s.
As diesel-powered irrigation systems were costly, the government launched an electric irrigation scheme for farmers. 597 deep tubewells, 1318 power-driven pumps and 3178 private shallow tubewells were installed under the BADC and the Barendra Multipurpose Development Authority. Through this, 1 lakh 82 thousand hectares of land was brought under cultivation.
But in the last decade, these irrigation projects have suffered a setback. Nearly 6,000 hectares of agricultural land have been lost due to pond digging in Tarash, Ullapara and Raiganj. In addition, another 5,000 hectares of land have become waterlogged due to lack of drainage. Many deep tubewell projects have been damaged due to pond digging.
In the Baniakhoir area of Ullapara, it was seen that a pond of about 100 bighas has been dug between three deep tube wells operated by BADC. This has effectively stopped irrigation projects. There are allegations that local influential people have dug this pond by abusing their power.
Similar scenes have been witnessed in the fields of Boalia, Mangalbaria and Amshara in Tarash Upazila and Raiganj Upazila. Solaiman Hossain, a farmer from Boalia village, complained that there is no more arable land left in our fields. As a result, irrigation projects have been stopped.
BADC Executive Engineer Chitta Ranjan Roy said that many irrigation projects have been closed due to pond digging. Work is underway to relocate these projects to other places to make them operational again. However, this has increased the financial cost of the government a lot.
Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department, A.J.M. Ahsan Shahid Sarkar, said that crop production is being affected due to the reduction in agricultural land due to mass pond digging. Public awareness must be increased to deal with the current situation, otherwise there will be long-term adverse effects on agriculture.
