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Drought, irrigation problem

Marginal, poor farmers of N-dists in crisis
DINAJPUR. Sept 1: The drought this year has left the marginal and poor farmers of the northern districts of the ‘ country economically crippled.
Drought Is mainly responsible for acute scarcity of water for which the farmers could not cultivate their lands and irrigate the sown lands.
The problem of irrigation was also hampered as most of the pump machines remained out of order for the whole sea-son.
A recent survey on North Bengal reveals that about 18.000 power pumps including the deep, shallow tube-wells remained idle due to defectiveness The survey report disclosed that there are 61.500 different kinds of tubewelis tn the northern region.
Out of the total, only 43.500 different kinds of tubewells worked more or less property The 18.000 power pumps remained idle. It is informed that a good number of tubewells remain idle for every year for various reasons
There are 500 deep lube wells. 50.000 shallow tubewells and 6.000 other kinds of pumps, in the region.
Of the total, about 1.000 deep. 15.000 shallow tube wells and 2.000 other power pumps remain idle for want of machinery parts. Favourism. village politics, corruption of
the authority and the block committees are responsible for the installation and operation of the power pumps.
When contacted, an engineer of the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) told this correspondent that Improper use of power pumps, use of bad quality of oil and missing of spare parts are the main reasons for the short longevity of the power pumps.
Some farmers informed that high price of fuel, scarcity of spare parts, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides use to hamper the successful cultivation for which they are to pass very hard days.
The 16 northern districts include Chapatnawabganj. Na-oaon. Natore. Rajshaht. St raj ganj. Pabna. Jolpurhat. Bogra. Gaibandha. Kurigram. Lalm-onirhat. Rangpur. Ntlphamari. Panchagarh. Thakurgaon and Dinajpur.
Therejare around one crore three Laah twenty seven thousand acres of agriculture and non-agriculture lands tn the northern regton of the country But only 62.25.000 acres of land are used for cultivation in this region.
About 41.02.000 acres of land remain Idle as these are khas lands Out of the total, only ten per cent of the land get irrigation facilities. For the remaining lands, the farmers
are to depend on the nature
The power supply problem is acute tn the northern region of the country. This year, the continuous drought brought a havoc for the farmers as they could cultivate and sow the seeds in time.
The eastern part of the country which is known as northern districts possesses 52 per cent of the total land of the country where 48 per cent of the population live.
But It is irony of fate that this region gets only 100 megwatts power supply where as the eastern part gets 490 megwatts power supply The percentage of loadshedding is seven to 15 per cent In eastern region where as the per centage of loadshedding is 15 to 25 per cent in western region.
The fall of the ground water level In the region is also alarming. The water level fall has varies from 15 to 45 feet In the areas As a rsswll.- there is no water tn many ponds, tubewells, wells and even some streams Many tubewells Including deep, shallow and other pumps remained inoper ative due the fall of water level
The government have been urged to look into the matter Impartially and take proper steps to solve the problems of thousands of people of the region for the greater Interest of the country