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Boro farming hit as shrimp traders damage dam

27 February 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

Our Correspondent, Satkhira

Boro cultivation on over 700 bighas of land in 15 villages under Shyamnagar upazila in the district has become uncertain as influential people have cut a sweet water reservoir along Chuna River to draw saline water from the river to their shrimp enclosures. Several hundred affected farmers yesterday laid seize to the office of Shyamnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dilip Kumar Banik and submitted a memorandum demanding action to stop lifting of saline water through the cut dam. Several affected farmers told this correspondent that they built a dam along Chuna River from Chuna bridge to Sapkhali bridge to reserve rainwater in the rainy season to cultivate Boro paddy this season. They said they planted Boro sapling after lifting sweet water from the reservoir about a month ago with hope to get bumper Boro paddy. But a group of shrimp cultivators led by Liakat Gazi cut the embankment to lift saline water from the river on February 20 night and since then irrigation of Boro lands in vast areas have remained stopped, they alleged. “We planted Boro paddy on seven bighas of land in Uttar Beel but our plants are turning yellowish as irrigation is hampered due to lack of sweet water,” said farmers Ashraf Ali and Shukur Ali of village Nakipur. They said hundreds of farmers are affected in the areas. Among the worst affected villages are Nakipur, Jaoakhali, Patnipukur, Chandipur, Datpur, Majat, Khagradana, Katakhali, Haibatpur, Sheikhpara and Kathalberi in Shyamnagar upazila. Shyamnagar Sadar union parishad Chairman Jaglul Haidar said he would take necessary measures in this regard. On contact, Shyamnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdur Razzak said Shyamnagar UNO ordered him to take action after investigation against the shrimp farmers.