SPECIALLargest irrigation project under threat

Al Imran Shovon

bdnews24.com Chandpur correspondent

Chandpur, Oct 24 (bdnews24.com)—The shrinking farmable land at Chandpur's 'Meghna-Dhonagoda Irrigation Project', the largest of its kind in the country, is severely affecting the project's crop output.

The implementation of the project started in the 1979-80 FY with 17,584 hectares of farmland under one municipality and 14 union of North Matlab Upazila and was completed in 1987-88 FY at a cost of Tk 1.75 billion, according to the project's executive engineer Babul Chandra Shil.

It was aimed at boosting agricultural output through providing proper irrigation, flood control and drainage facilities to the farmers.

The project's completion produced spectacular results, with the agriculture production shooting up to 83,408 tonnes from the previous output of 27,136 tonnes before the project.

But the growing encroachment of human habitation on the project area has cast a deep shadow over its future. As a result, arable land is decreasing alarmingly, with about 4,000 hectares out of 30,000 hectares already lost in the last 30 years.

"The area is diminishing due to unfettered building of homes,"Shil added.

Nature has something to do with his phenomenon. Erosion at Meghna River has forced many people in North Matlab Upazila to move to the project area, claimed locals.

People are settling down mostly in Doshani, Mohonpur, Ekhlachhpur, Jahirabad, Farajikandi, Chhengarchar areas of North Matlab Upazila, they say.

Upazila agricultural officer Mohammad Saiful Alam told bdnews24.com, "The project's land is decreasing every year due to construction of houses within the project area. Planting of trees around the homes are also leaving arable lands unused. New roads are also being built to connect the newly built localities."

The situation can be reversed by making laws and enforcing them, he added," he added.

"The land area has been decreasing since the project's start but the rate has peaked over the last 10 to 12 years. More than 4,000 hectares of land under the project has been overtaken by settlers by now."

Executive engineer Shil continued, "Some areas of the project were high above the ground level and could not be irrigated. Farmers used to farm there using water from shallow pumps. However, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation currently provides irrigation on the high grounds by using deep tube wells."

However, farmers have a different story to tell and Sadullyapur's Abdur Rahim, Baganbari's Abul Kalam and Sultanabad's 'Rahim' told bdnews24.com that despite the project's target of achieving higher agricultural output, lack of proper distribution of water is hampering the goal.

At the same time, proper drainage facility causes water logging even when there is little rain in parts of Sadullyapur, Baganbari, Sultanabad, Ghaniarpar, Shatnol, Fatepur South and other unions, destroying crops.

No initiative has been taken by the project authorities to address this problem, they added.

Matlab North Upazila parishad chairman Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said if the arable land is protected it would help boost agriculture production. "It will definitely decrease the country's foods shortage to a great extent."

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