BSS, Rajshahi :
Community level rainwater harvesting and conservation has been started in the drought-prone Barind area in order to boosting irrigation to the farmlands from surface water resources instead of only groundwater.
Shickpur villagers under Tanore Upazila in the district established a check-dam in a canal beside the west-side field in the village in last dry season in association with Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.
Abdul Jalil, a volunteer of Shikpur Water Resource Management Committee, told BSS that supplementary irrigation was given to 222 bigha of Aman paddy field on both sides of the canal as a result of the check-dam construction.
The villagers harvested more than 3,500 mounds of paddy and saved around Taka 25 lakh in only last aman season as benefit of the check-dam constructed at a cost of around Taka 4.84 lakh. Earlier, they had to spend the huge money for irrigation.
DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross are jointly implementing the IWRM project in drought affected 35 union parishads and four pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015 by with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant Coordinator of the IWRM Project.
Badhair Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Ataur Rahman said the canal will be renovated and another more check-dam will be constructed at one kilometer of its downstream this year.
As a result, more hundreds bigha of fallow lands will be brought under crop cultivation and the canal water will help recharging groundwater layer.
Majharul Islam, Chairman of Daldali Union Parishad under Bholahat Upazila in Chapainawabgonj district, constructed check-dam in Mushrivuja canal at a cost of around Taka 20 lakh in 2015 for rainwater conservation for irrigation purposes with requisite support from IWRM Project. With this breakthrough, around 400 bigha of land were brought under irrigation.
He also constructed 5740 feet pipeline-based underground irrigation canal through expanding the old Ghaibari Irrigation Project. Through which, around 5,000 bigha of land were brought under irrigation.
Five ponds were re-excavated in five villages having poor and disadvantaged population. Safe drinking water is being supplied to the underprivileged population through pipeline in two nearby villages.
Besides, rainwater harvesting and conservation schemes are being implemented in 15 other villages and the number will be stood to 100 places under 25 UPs by this yearend, said Jahangir Alam Khan.
The IWRM project intends to build the UPs as effective institution through farmers’ level sustainable water resource management with people participation.
“We have scopes of enriching the surface water resources after proper retention and conservation of rainwater through re-excavating the existing derelict ponds and canals,” said Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan of Department of Geology and Mining in Rajshahi University.
He said more use of surface water for irrigation has become an urgent need following abnormal lowering of groundwater table especially in high barind tract. Prof Sarwar Jahan hoped that the promoted schemes would contribute a lot towards encouraging the grassroots people relating to rainwater harvesting and conservation.
Community level rainwater harvesting and conservation has been started in the drought-prone Barind area in order to boosting irrigation to the farmlands from surface water resources instead of only groundwater.
Shickpur villagers under Tanore Upazila in the district established a check-dam in a canal beside the west-side field in the village in last dry season in association with Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.
Abdul Jalil, a volunteer of Shikpur Water Resource Management Committee, told BSS that supplementary irrigation was given to 222 bigha of Aman paddy field on both sides of the canal as a result of the check-dam construction.
The villagers harvested more than 3,500 mounds of paddy and saved around Taka 25 lakh in only last aman season as benefit of the check-dam constructed at a cost of around Taka 4.84 lakh. Earlier, they had to spend the huge money for irrigation.
DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross are jointly implementing the IWRM project in drought affected 35 union parishads and four pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015 by with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant Coordinator of the IWRM Project.
Badhair Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Ataur Rahman said the canal will be renovated and another more check-dam will be constructed at one kilometer of its downstream this year.
As a result, more hundreds bigha of fallow lands will be brought under crop cultivation and the canal water will help recharging groundwater layer.
Majharul Islam, Chairman of Daldali Union Parishad under Bholahat Upazila in Chapainawabgonj district, constructed check-dam in Mushrivuja canal at a cost of around Taka 20 lakh in 2015 for rainwater conservation for irrigation purposes with requisite support from IWRM Project. With this breakthrough, around 400 bigha of land were brought under irrigation.
He also constructed 5740 feet pipeline-based underground irrigation canal through expanding the old Ghaibari Irrigation Project. Through which, around 5,000 bigha of land were brought under irrigation.
Five ponds were re-excavated in five villages having poor and disadvantaged population. Safe drinking water is being supplied to the underprivileged population through pipeline in two nearby villages.
Besides, rainwater harvesting and conservation schemes are being implemented in 15 other villages and the number will be stood to 100 places under 25 UPs by this yearend, said Jahangir Alam Khan.
The IWRM project intends to build the UPs as effective institution through farmers’ level sustainable water resource management with people participation.
“We have scopes of enriching the surface water resources after proper retention and conservation of rainwater through re-excavating the existing derelict ponds and canals,” said Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan of Department of Geology and Mining in Rajshahi University.
He said more use of surface water for irrigation has become an urgent need following abnormal lowering of groundwater table especially in high barind tract. Prof Sarwar Jahan hoped that the promoted schemes would contribute a lot towards encouraging the grassroots people relating to rainwater harvesting and conservation.
