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Irrigate — the Local Way
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia recently Inaugu rated the North Bangladesh Irrigation Project (NBIP). designed to irrigate 44,000 hectares of land using 726 deep tubewells (DTWs) In a coun try where land is starved of water on either side of the monsoon season, and where landless or small holding farmers struggle to survive on a single seasons harvest of cereals, the tmplemen tatton of the project should have come as a highly welcome news However, the existing reality of rural Bangladesh, coupled with the availability of a credible aitemative in the form of a manually-operated Tradie Pump (TP), makes the govern ment s apparent acceptance of DTWs as the answer to the country's agricultural ills somewhat disturbing Had there been no aitemative to the imported, expensive technology, then there would have been no point to debate Sadly, our policy-makers, possibly Influenced by donors such as the World Bank, whose Judgement may well have been coloured by imported perceptions. seem to be ignoring the local answer to this indigenous problem
Agriculture in Bangladesh is unique and char acterised by fragmented land, availability of abundant manpower, and the existence of a vast and regularly recharged aquifer A comparative analysis of the benefits of the DTW and the TP in the context of the NBIP area would surely show which of the two options hold more in terms of appropriateness.
In terms of cost alone, the DTW should have been rejected. According to government figures, the 726 DTWs were installed at the cost of nearly US $30 million, whereas the cost to install 176.000 TPs necessary to irrigate the same area would have come to some $3.5 million. In addition. farmers in the NBIP area will have to pay Taka 1.200 per year to rent the DTW water for two cropping seasons; but In the case of the TPs. the farmers would have been the owners of the pumps giving them total control over their required water supplies throughout the year. That "control" is of vital Importance, because with the DTW, the farmer remains dependent on the pump and Its owner in a neo-feudalistlc manner, and is never sure of supply when he needs it badly The TP not only allows the farmer to irrigate his land with water when he needs it. but also by the exact amount necessary which is not always the case with DTWs. This control over water supply would also allow the farmer to diversify his crops thus vastly increasing his cash income and giving a major impetus to his efforts to break out of the poverty cycle. This is a major factor which is completely missing from the DTW scenario
Bangladesh is also a country where real unemployment figures run into tens of millions, which should make any labour-intensive but productive technology like the TP instantly attractive. In the case of NBIP, the 726 DTWs are projected to generate 5.000 Jobs, but manual irrigation would ave required enough productive work to create 60.000 full-time Jobs, giving vital roles to women and other rural family members, who would otherwise remain Idle The government should also consider the fact that while DTWs are heavily subsidised by external donors with large dollar components in the form of imported fuel and spareparts, the TPs carry no such burdens. Indeed, greater demand for TPs would have a rippling effect throughout the economy because it would create Jobs and Income in the manufacturing and installation sectors.
Given the vast socio-economic benefits apparent In the use of TPs and the obvious disadvantages associated with DTWs. it is surprising that the government has not made a thorough review of the country’s Irrigation policy It is. however, never too late to effect a policy re think. At present. the situation Is characterised by a lack of clarity in government strategy, and that ought to change The government should take a closer look at the alternatives available and arrive at a decision based on indigenous needs and resist external pressure or persuasion to do otherwise.