Editorial
Depletion of ground water
Threat to agriculture and the ecology
All across the country, there is an ecological threat which negatively impacts agriculture. This is due to the unplanned and excessive use of groundwater for irrigation purposes, as stated by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
There are almost 13 lakh mostly shallow tube wells, placed in close proximity to each other, which are being used to draw ground water for irrigation. However, according to the BADC, 8 lakh tube wells would have sufficed. Thus, the excessive use of groundwater from more tube wells than needed is a key factor causing water levels to rapidly decrease.
Furthermore, irrigation based on this method only has a 34% efficiency rate. Therefore, such a rapid national decrement of water tables for such a low efficiency rate is hardly the optimum solution for irrigation.
In Dhaka city alone, ground water is decreasing by two to three metres annually, a decline caused by the inadequate recharging of groundwater. It is for similar reasons that Australia has ceased to utilise ground water for irrigation, along with the fact that stopping this practice can preserve a healthy ecological balance.
Dependency on groundwater for drinking and irrigation should thus be reduced considerably if the ecology and agriculture are to be protected and preserved from destruction. Excessive use of groundwater affect the soil and the environment negatively.
The government has stated that it is now placing emphasis on the utilisation of surface water for irrigation in order to preserve the ecological balance and protect the environment from further damage. Surface water is much more beneficial for irrigation as it protects farmlands from salinity. Surface water can be made available through the digging of canals, cleaning up existing rivers, creating more man-made lakes and harvesting rain water.
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