Boro crops drying up in Teesta project area

The breached portion of Rangpur Canal embankment at Dolapara. PHOTO: STAR

The project authorities stopped water supply after about 80 feet of the canal dam breached at Moulvibazar Dolapara village in Magura union under Kishorweganj upazila on March 20.

Crops in vast areas in Kishore-gang, Taragang, Gangachara and Badarganj upazilas in Rangpur and Nilphamari districts are drying up, farmers told this correspondent during a visit on Saturday.

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As the dam breached, Water Development Board (WDB) men initially dumped sang bags to stop the water flow, but failed. They then stopped water supply through the canal.

This is the prime time for crops but the fields are without irrigation, many farmers in the area said.

WDB officials blamed farmers for the breach. This was caused due to illegal cutting of the dam by farmers for making grains for water, they said.

But the farmers said the dam collapsed automatically because sand was used instead of soil in its construction. So the dam could not bear the water pressure, they claimed.

WDB also lodged a case against 19 farmers in Kishoregang on charge of damaging the dam.

WDB Superintendent Engineer Ahsanull, Executive Engineer AKM Moazzem Hossen and Assistant Engineer Abdus Sayeed visited the damaged site on March 21.

Ahsanulla had told newsmen during the visit that the breach would be repaired within days to resume water supply.