Anisul Islam Noor :
The excessive use of ground water has raised question in the country. As such the government in principle is encouraging use of surface water for irrigation purpose, research found.
The availability of water from rainfalls has gone down on the one hand and the unplanned extraction of ground water on the other hand has left an adverse impact on the environment.
So, the Ministry of Agriculture has been discouraging installation of deep tubewells since 2014 in the greater interest of ecological balance.
Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) has been, therefore, encouraging use of the old deep tube wells for irrigation after reform.
There were some 36,034 deep tubewells for irrigation purposes in the country in 2013-14, 36,536 in 2014-15 fiscal year and 36,979 in 2015-16.
The irrigation areas under those deep tubewells were eight lakh 76 thousand and 803 hectares of land in 2013-14, nine lakh 62 thousand and 39 hectares in 2014-15 and 11 lakh 14 thousand and 177 hectares in 2015-16 fiscal year.
Experts said, the number of deep tubewells has been rising in the recent years, ignoring the Agriculture Ministry’s order, as there is no clear policy.
The Chairman of BADC Md. Nasir Uddin told The New Nation that BADC was assessing the exact number deep tubewells to be sunken and what should be the distance between the two deep tubewells.
“We are not working against the Ministry’s order. So, if some one installs new deep tubewell, that will be his own responsibility,” BADC Chairman said.
In last 20 years, the dependence on the underground water for agriculture activities has increased for which the water level in those districts fell by 16 centimeters, said Agriculture Monitoring Cell of the Ministry.
To produce a kilogram of Boro paddy in the northern districts, it needs 2500 liters of water. About forty-four percent of crops were cultivated by irrigation in 2007-2008 fiscal which rose to 48 percent in 2012-13. An imbalance situation prevails in these districts due to absence of enough surface water for farming, the Monitoring Cell said.
However, Acting Executive Director of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) Md. Abdur Rashid told the reporter that the deep tubewells had played a vital role to increase food grains production in the northern districts.
Yet the government has been encouraging to irrigate lands from alternative sources, he said.
The excessive use of ground water has raised question in the country. As such the government in principle is encouraging use of surface water for irrigation purpose, research found.
The availability of water from rainfalls has gone down on the one hand and the unplanned extraction of ground water on the other hand has left an adverse impact on the environment.
So, the Ministry of Agriculture has been discouraging installation of deep tubewells since 2014 in the greater interest of ecological balance.
Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) has been, therefore, encouraging use of the old deep tube wells for irrigation after reform.
There were some 36,034 deep tubewells for irrigation purposes in the country in 2013-14, 36,536 in 2014-15 fiscal year and 36,979 in 2015-16.
The irrigation areas under those deep tubewells were eight lakh 76 thousand and 803 hectares of land in 2013-14, nine lakh 62 thousand and 39 hectares in 2014-15 and 11 lakh 14 thousand and 177 hectares in 2015-16 fiscal year.
Experts said, the number of deep tubewells has been rising in the recent years, ignoring the Agriculture Ministry’s order, as there is no clear policy.
The Chairman of BADC Md. Nasir Uddin told The New Nation that BADC was assessing the exact number deep tubewells to be sunken and what should be the distance between the two deep tubewells.
“We are not working against the Ministry’s order. So, if some one installs new deep tubewell, that will be his own responsibility,” BADC Chairman said.
In last 20 years, the dependence on the underground water for agriculture activities has increased for which the water level in those districts fell by 16 centimeters, said Agriculture Monitoring Cell of the Ministry.
To produce a kilogram of Boro paddy in the northern districts, it needs 2500 liters of water. About forty-four percent of crops were cultivated by irrigation in 2007-2008 fiscal which rose to 48 percent in 2012-13. An imbalance situation prevails in these districts due to absence of enough surface water for farming, the Monitoring Cell said.
However, Acting Executive Director of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) Md. Abdur Rashid told the reporter that the deep tubewells had played a vital role to increase food grains production in the northern districts.
Yet the government has been encouraging to irrigate lands from alternative sources, he said.
