6,000 acres to remain unutilised in Satkhira in <i>Boro</i> season
No step in 7 years to remove water-logging in 21 villages
Over 6,000 acres of land in 21 beels (water bodies) covering 21 villages in Satkhira Sadar upazila will remain unutilised during the current Irri-Boro season due to water-logging.
The lands were inundated during the rainy season and the water is stagnant in Dhulihar, Brahmmarajpur and Fingri unions as a sluice gate at Balitha is inoperative for long. This caused great hardship to the people as they could not raise Aus crop also.
Locals said the water will remain stagnant till the Bangla month of Magh, affecting winter vegetable cultivation also.
The situation continues for about seven years as the outlet for rainwater is clogged, they said.
The sluice gate was built in early 70's to drain out rainwater into Marichchap river. Unplanned construction of embankments for shrimp cultivation also aggravated the situation, the locals said.
The affected villages are Fingri, Komorpur, Darbastia, Chandpur, Kultia, Jeordia, Gobordari, Bangdah, Gava, Balitha, Brahmmarapur, Chelardangi, Mirzapur, Mellekpara, Jahanabad, Faizullapur, Shimulbaria, Sarba Kashempur, North Fingri, Berbari and Habaspur. The river Marichchap has lost navigability due to massive deposit of silt and the sluice gate has become inoperative as the riverbed rose.
The outlets for rainwater and Marichchap river water have been clogged.
Neither people's representatives nor the local administration took any initiative to remove the water logging problem despite repeated appeals, some local people told this correspondent during a recent visit.
The Aman crop was lost and there is no scope to grow IRRI-Boro, wheat and winter vegetables as water will remain stagnant for another couple of months.
“After loss of Aman crop, people of the areas hoped for cultivating IRRI-Boro, wheat and winter vegetables. But all our hopes have been dashed”, said Dhulihar Union Parishad (UP) member SM Jalal Uddin.
“We have no alternative to starvation if we can not grow crops this winter”, said farmer Dulal Chandra Mondal of Balitha village.
“Apathy by the Water Development Board (WDB) and the local administration has caused the misery from water logging”, said freedom fighter Abul Khair, former chairman of Fingri Union Parishad.
On contact, Md. Masud, deputy director fof Satkhira Agricultural Extension Department (AED) said they submitted a report in this regard to the authorities concerned to take immediate steps but to no effect.
While to talking to this correspondent, executive engineer Satkhira WDB Mujibar Rahman said sluice gate is now inoperative as the river bed rose due to deposit of silt.
“The (Marichchap) river will not get back its flow without dredging the silted portions. The problem will not be solved so long it is not done”, he added.
He however said, WDB is taking steps to remove the stagnant water.
Local people of all classes at a meeting held recently at Dhulihar union Parishad (UP) auditorium urged the government to take a long term project to solve the problem.
All chairmen and member of local Union parishads attended the meeting.
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