Staff Reporter, Rangpur :
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) is implementing a comprehensive plan to expand irrigation facilities in 5 districts of the Rangpur region through optimal use of groundwater and conservation of rainwater.
According to the BMDA EIRP Rangpur Project Director’s Office, under the Ministry of Agriculture, a comprehensive plan has been adopted in 35 upazilas of five districts in the greater Rangpur region under the ‘Irrigation Extension Project (EIRP) through optimal use of surface water and rainwater harvesting’. More than Tk 250.57 crore will be spent for the implementation of this project for a period of 5 years.
Habibur Rahman Khan, BMDA’s supervising engineer and project director of the ‘Irrigation Expansion Project through Best Use of Surface Water and Conservation of Rainwater’, said the project covers 35 upazilas of Rangpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Gaibandha and Lalmarihat in the greater Rangpur region. -Re-excavation of abandoned canals, beels, ponds to make the best use of surface water and rain water conservation programs have been undertaken.
Under the project, it will be possible to expand irrigation facilities in about 10,250 hectares of land with the help of stored and stored surface water by re-excavating 230 km long khas canals, 11 beels and 118 ponds in 5 long years. In addition, 130 km of underground irrigation canals will be constructed in 130 LLPs under the project to reduce the cost of irrigation and increase the efficiency of irrigation by preventing wastage of irrigation water. At the same time, by removing the existing waterlogging, it will be possible to make another 350 hectares of uncultivated abandoned land suitable for crop cultivation.
In addition, under this project, positive changes in the socio-economic condition will be ensured to improve the living standards of the people by making arrangements to produce low water consuming crops / vegetables through solar powered wells. Under the program, there are extensive plans to produce low water-consuming crops by digging 30 solar powered LLPs with a capacity of 2 cusecs, 100 electric powered LLPs and 50 solar powered wells in the project area.
Besides, under the project, 230,000 different varieties of fruit, forest and medicinal plants will be planted in 5 districts of greater Rangpur region to create environment friendly environment, create additional forest resources and play a helpful role in environmental development. Besides, under this project, 10 departmental, regional and zonal office buildings of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority will be constructed in 5 districts.
Under the ongoing activities of the project in these districts in the current financial year, Shalmara canal of Mithapukur upazila, Mara Teesta and Ghrinai rivers of Badarganj upazila, Chatra canal of Pirganj upazila, 18 km canal including Dara of Boal of Nageshwari upazila, Bilhar of Mithapukur upazila of about 27 acres Including excavation of 2 beels and 12 ponds, installation of 10 electric, 10 solar powered LLPs, construction of 20 underground irrigation canals 20 km long, construction of 10 wells, planting of 40,000 varieties of fruit, forest and medicinal plants. Through this, about 500 hectares of uncultivated land has already come under irrigation facility. The remaining work will be completed by June. Besides, the construction process of 3 office buildings in 2 districts has been completed about 80 percent.
According to the BMDA authorities, they are facing various hurdles in the implementation of the project from the locally influential quarters. As a result of the obstruction of all those influential people, there is some disruption in the ongoing work.
Habibur Rahman Khan, Supervising Engineer, BMDA and Project Director, EIRP, explained the aims and objectives of the project. In the past, these wetlands were used locally as groundwater. In the course of time, all of them have been filled up and the flow and capacity of water is being lost, causing heavy rains, flash floods, loss of life and massive crop losses.
