Rajshahi Correspondent :
The ongoing scorching heat and sultry weather have caused acute water crisis in the Barind tract comprising 25 upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj and the public health is also affected .
Public in general and all other living beings are suffering a lot in the wake of prolonged drought-like condition, gradually rising temperature and absence of rainfall for more than 25 consecutive days in the region, particularly the vast Barind tract.
The weather of Rajshahi has turned extreme during the recent days. Blockage of natural flow of the River Padma and other common rivers through erecting barrages across the border, unplanned use of underground water for irrigation purposes, unabated felling of trees, non-excavation of ponds, tributaries and water bodies have incurred a huge toll on environment and now the people of the region are facing their impact.
Meanwhile, doctors at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital advised the people to drink enough water, particularly during the daytime. Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Khan, associate professor of medicine of the college, said children, newborns, elderly people and cardiac patients suffer the most in such weather. The sufferings of the elderly people, children and the students knew no bounds. Sources at Rajshahi Livestock Office said the domestic animals are also suffering from diarrhea, dysentery and dehydration due to extreme heat. Absence of green grass as fodder has increased their diseases.
Almost all ponds and tributaries of the region have dried up and the scarcity of fish has turned acute in the district. The scorching heat is badly affecting most of the standing crops and seasonal fruits like mango and litchi, said DrAlimuddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Fruit Research Station.
Prof DrBidhan Chandra Das of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi University viewed there is no way but to natural resource conservation in the region particularly the vast Barind tract to face the adverse climatic condition for the greater interests of ecological balance.
In the wake of abnormal declining of natural resources like native crop seeds, fish and birds species and other wildlife, conservation of natural resources has become indispensable to this end. Prof GolamSabbir Sattar of the Geology and Mining Department said common consequences of drought such as desertification, eroding landscapes and less crop growth are occurring due to a lack of water for irrigation purposes. Prof Sabbir said over 13,000 deep tube-wells are being used to extract groundwater every day for farming. Most of the hand-driven tube-wells have become inoperative which is a threat to the residents’ lives.
Local met office Friday recorded the season’s highest temperature at 41.2 degrees Celsius and the mercury level remains above 40 degrees in most of the days in last one weeks. The local met office recorded not a single drop of rainfall since the second week of the current month. Sufferings of the people, especially day laborers, rickshaw and van pullers, construction workers, masons and street vendors have turned miserable due to daylong hot spell without respite.
Bhangura (Pabna) Correspondent reports: Unbearable load -shedding of electricity has made life miserable and cracks have been developed on Boro crop field due to lack of irrigation facility at Bhangura Upazila under the Pabna district.
Most of the shallow and deep tube wells have gone out of order due to frequent power failure in this area. In addition, about hundreds of irrigation pump motors of Boro schemes became inoperative due to the low-voltage of electricity last week.
Md.Akkas Ali, a farmer of the village of Pathorghata under Parvangura Union said, his one acre of Boro field is full with soil crevices because of water crisis due to load shedding . The situation has taken serious turn in Bhangura Pouroshava, Khanmorich, Austomanisa and Dilpasar Union. Residents of Bhangura Upazilla are leading a miserable life amid scorching heat. They said that they are to pass time without electricity about 16/17 hours a day.
Md.Golam Kabir, President , Pabna Palli Biddut Samiti-1 said that 10 megawatt electricity against demand of 40 megawat is the reason for power failure. It is to be noted that Bhangura is famous for agriculture and fish product. However, only allocation of 10 MW electricity every month is illogical. Shah Zulfiqar Haider, GM of Pabna PBS-1 said the electricity supply has temporarily declined critically in the national grid lines. However, he hopes the situation will improve soon. Local customers have complained to the authority concerned. Farmers complained that Agricultural Extension Department of Bhangura Upazila is not extending any cooperation to save their crops.
UNB from Khulna adds: Lack of pure drinking water keeps intensifying in Dakope upazila of the coastal district making two lakh residents of its seven villages victims of unrelenting woes.
Sources said the key source of water in the upazila is rainwater harvesting, a process or technique to collect, filter and store rainwater during the rainy season.
Besides, there is a treatment plant for removing salinity from water in Dakope Bazar of the upazila.
The residents of the seven villages have to do their household works mostly with water from ponds.
They started facing the crisis intolerably in the current summer as the ponds and cannels ran dry at the beginning of the Bangla month of Chaitra.
Besides, the deep and shallow tube-wells become almost unable to lift water as the groundwater level falls during the dry season, creating scarcity of drinking water.
Shyamol Kanti Biswas, a resident of West Bajua village, said the crisis is mainly due to absence of the required number of deep tube-wells in the upazila.
A 655 feet deep tube-well was set up in the village three years ago to remove the water crisis.
The ongoing scorching heat and sultry weather have caused acute water crisis in the Barind tract comprising 25 upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj and the public health is also affected .
Public in general and all other living beings are suffering a lot in the wake of prolonged drought-like condition, gradually rising temperature and absence of rainfall for more than 25 consecutive days in the region, particularly the vast Barind tract.
The weather of Rajshahi has turned extreme during the recent days. Blockage of natural flow of the River Padma and other common rivers through erecting barrages across the border, unplanned use of underground water for irrigation purposes, unabated felling of trees, non-excavation of ponds, tributaries and water bodies have incurred a huge toll on environment and now the people of the region are facing their impact.
Meanwhile, doctors at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital advised the people to drink enough water, particularly during the daytime. Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Khan, associate professor of medicine of the college, said children, newborns, elderly people and cardiac patients suffer the most in such weather. The sufferings of the elderly people, children and the students knew no bounds. Sources at Rajshahi Livestock Office said the domestic animals are also suffering from diarrhea, dysentery and dehydration due to extreme heat. Absence of green grass as fodder has increased their diseases.
Almost all ponds and tributaries of the region have dried up and the scarcity of fish has turned acute in the district. The scorching heat is badly affecting most of the standing crops and seasonal fruits like mango and litchi, said DrAlimuddin, Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Fruit Research Station.
Prof DrBidhan Chandra Das of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi University viewed there is no way but to natural resource conservation in the region particularly the vast Barind tract to face the adverse climatic condition for the greater interests of ecological balance.
In the wake of abnormal declining of natural resources like native crop seeds, fish and birds species and other wildlife, conservation of natural resources has become indispensable to this end. Prof GolamSabbir Sattar of the Geology and Mining Department said common consequences of drought such as desertification, eroding landscapes and less crop growth are occurring due to a lack of water for irrigation purposes. Prof Sabbir said over 13,000 deep tube-wells are being used to extract groundwater every day for farming. Most of the hand-driven tube-wells have become inoperative which is a threat to the residents’ lives.
Local met office Friday recorded the season’s highest temperature at 41.2 degrees Celsius and the mercury level remains above 40 degrees in most of the days in last one weeks. The local met office recorded not a single drop of rainfall since the second week of the current month. Sufferings of the people, especially day laborers, rickshaw and van pullers, construction workers, masons and street vendors have turned miserable due to daylong hot spell without respite.
Bhangura (Pabna) Correspondent reports: Unbearable load -shedding of electricity has made life miserable and cracks have been developed on Boro crop field due to lack of irrigation facility at Bhangura Upazila under the Pabna district.
Most of the shallow and deep tube wells have gone out of order due to frequent power failure in this area. In addition, about hundreds of irrigation pump motors of Boro schemes became inoperative due to the low-voltage of electricity last week.
Md.Akkas Ali, a farmer of the village of Pathorghata under Parvangura Union said, his one acre of Boro field is full with soil crevices because of water crisis due to load shedding . The situation has taken serious turn in Bhangura Pouroshava, Khanmorich, Austomanisa and Dilpasar Union. Residents of Bhangura Upazilla are leading a miserable life amid scorching heat. They said that they are to pass time without electricity about 16/17 hours a day.
Md.Golam Kabir, President , Pabna Palli Biddut Samiti-1 said that 10 megawatt electricity against demand of 40 megawat is the reason for power failure. It is to be noted that Bhangura is famous for agriculture and fish product. However, only allocation of 10 MW electricity every month is illogical. Shah Zulfiqar Haider, GM of Pabna PBS-1 said the electricity supply has temporarily declined critically in the national grid lines. However, he hopes the situation will improve soon. Local customers have complained to the authority concerned. Farmers complained that Agricultural Extension Department of Bhangura Upazila is not extending any cooperation to save their crops.
UNB from Khulna adds: Lack of pure drinking water keeps intensifying in Dakope upazila of the coastal district making two lakh residents of its seven villages victims of unrelenting woes.
Sources said the key source of water in the upazila is rainwater harvesting, a process or technique to collect, filter and store rainwater during the rainy season.
Besides, there is a treatment plant for removing salinity from water in Dakope Bazar of the upazila.
The residents of the seven villages have to do their household works mostly with water from ponds.
They started facing the crisis intolerably in the current summer as the ponds and cannels ran dry at the beginning of the Bangla month of Chaitra.
Besides, the deep and shallow tube-wells become almost unable to lift water as the groundwater level falls during the dry season, creating scarcity of drinking water.
Shyamol Kanti Biswas, a resident of West Bajua village, said the crisis is mainly due to absence of the required number of deep tube-wells in the upazila.
A 655 feet deep tube-well was set up in the village three years ago to remove the water crisis.
