Water shortage threatens Aman crop at Ghorgahat

GHORGAHAT, DINAJPUR, Sept 6:  Farmers of Nurjahanpur Village in Ward No 9 of Ghorgahat Municipality, Dinajpur, are struggling to get irrigation water for their Aman paddy as a single deep tube-well is being used to irrigate 125 acres of farmland.

They fear their crop yields will fall as they cannot get enough water when needed.

Around 25-30 farmers formed a human chain on the Ghorgahat Upazila Parishad premises at around 1pm on Sunday, demanding the installation of another deep tube-well in the area as soon as possible.

The farmers said it is impossible for a single tube-well to provide timely irrigation to 125 acres of farmland. Many Aman fields, where the crop was transplanted 40-45 days ago, do not have enough water, raising fears of lower yields.

They said they have already spent Tk 5,000-6,000 per bigha on seeds, fertiliser and pesticides.

Farmer Suruj Mia said their families depend on the crops grown on the land for their year-round livelihood.

“We will suffer a huge loss if another tube well is not installed soon,” he said.

Another farmer, Shamsul Islam, said the single tube-well could not supply water to everyone on time.

“The fields have developed cracks due to a lack of water. We urgently need another deep tube-well,” he said.

Asaduzzaman Sujon, Sub-Assistant Engineer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Member-Secretary of the upazila irrigation committee, said the authorities were aware of the issue.

“We know about the matter and are aware of the situation. We will investigate it again and reach a decision after considering the matter carefully,” he said.

Rubana Tanzin, Upazila Nirbahi Officer and President of the Upazila Irrigation Committee, said irrigation activities are governed by specific guidelines.

“Nothing can be done outside the guidelines. If anyone applies and meets the requirements under the policy, they will certainly be granted a licence,” she said.