<i>Dried-up canals bring sorrow to Sitakunda</i>
Most of 13 canals in Sitakunda upazila have been filled with earth or dried up for years, seriously affecting thousands of people living near the canals during every monsoon and summer.
As a result, Boro cultivation on around 20,000 acres of land in the upazila couldn't be possible this year, sources said.
The canals, once known as the boon of nature, has now turned into bane to us, some affected villagers said, adding that if steps are taken to recover the canals through regular digging or renovation these would surely be the sources of great benefit again.
“We have been experiencing double blow from nature for the last five to six years due to the dried canals. In heavy monsoon, canal-adjoining villages used to get inundated while in the dry season (summer) villagers can't get sufficient irrigation for cultivation,” said SM Tahidul Hoque Chowdhury, a leader of Sitakunda Association in Chittagong of a village near Mohalinga Khal at No-2 Baroiyadhala Union of the upazila.
He said another monsoon is just looming ahead and we too are now living on fear to face another brunt of flood.
Mohalinga apart, the other canals of the 13 that gradually dried up or filled most are Domekhali and Bakkhali Khals in Syedpur union; Gupta, Naralia and Kamania Khals in Barabkunda union; Sikder, Boalia and Bhaterkhil Khals in Banshbaria union; Badan Khal in Baroiyadhala, and Antar and Nunachhara Khals in Chhoto Kumira union, sources said.
Affected people said a regulator was supposed to be set up on the mouth of each of those canals to prevent the tidal water of sea from entering the localities but the regulators are yet to install.
The canals in Baroiyadhala, Syedpur, Banshbaria and Kumira unions have turned into earthen roads being gradually dried up in a period of last two years. Some farmers cultivated various types of vegetables, including potato, pepper and aubergine in many of such canal-turned-roads.
Iqbal Ahmed, who cultivated pepper and aubergine in Badan Khal, said the canal had a depth of above 12 feet even six to eight year ago that became filled for lack of renovation.
“The villages adjacent to Gupta khal get inundated with the overflowing water in every monsoon,” said Md Abdus Salam.
Bansbaria UP Chairman Ali Ahsan said the villagers face untold sufferings especially in heavy monsoon as flood water hardly gets any space to subside quickly through the canals.
He called for digging some sub-canals as an alternative measure keeping in consideration the ensuing monsoon.
“In dry season, cultivation of crop is possible if the authorities take step to preserve water by developing small embankment at some points of the canal that will benefit the farmers immensely,” said Mobarak Hossain, a schoolteacher of Barabkunda.
Kumira UP Chairman Mofizur Rahman said the canals couldn't be renovated or recovered due to non-availability of grant from the ministry concerned.
UP chairmen Mofiz and Ahsan said that they had on many occasions appealed in vain to the authorities for immediate grants against the canals.
According to official data, Sitakunda has a total of 32,300 acres of arable land and only 12,800 of this are under irrigation facility. The upazila is predominantly an industrial zone with public and private textile mills, jute mills, cement factories, glass and steel factories, and ship breaking yard.
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