Irrigation project likely to benefit 50,000 Panchagarh people

PANCHAGARH, Nov 14: An irrigation project in Debiganj Upazila of the district is expected to provide irrigation facilities to about 50,000 people, State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad, MP, said on Friday.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the project in Telipara Village of Debiduba Union, the state minister said the initiative would reduce irrigation costs for farmers, increase crop production and improve local livelihoods.

He said the project would initially operate on electricity, with plans to introduce solar power in the future.

Currently, farmers spend between Tk 3,000 and Tk 4,000 to irrigate one bigha of land, Azad said. Electricity-powered irrigation could bring the cost down to around Tk 1,500, while solar-powered irrigation could reduce it to less than Tk 1,000, he added.

The inauguration covered the rehabilitation of an 8.93-kilometre embankment, 84 irrigation outlets and pump houses under the Telipara Minor Irrigation (Electric Block-3) subproject. The initiative is being implemented under the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Water Management Project.

According to project officials, work began on July 5 at a cost of Tk 19,14,53,000. The project includes the rehabilitation and reshaping of embankments along a nearly 9-kilometre canal running through Sundardighi, Dandapal and Debiduba unions in Debiganj Upazila.

Other components include concrete canal lining, the rehabilitation of pump houses and outlets, the construction of culverts and aqueducts, and the installation of motors and pumps. The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is implementing the project.

Among those attending the inauguration were subproject Director Pijush Krishna Kundu, Panchagarh BWDB Executive Engineer Ashutosh Barman, Deputy Chief Extension Officer Rafiul Bari, Sub-Divisional Engineer Prabir Kumar Pal and Debiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Indrajit Saha.