RANGPUR Nov .10: The Teesta-Mahananda barrage constructed by India in West Bengal has caused a serious impact on different major rivers flowing through eight northern districts in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur.
According to the information received here, the Indian government has completed the construction of a mighty dam. Teesta-Mahananda barrage along the upper stream of the Teesta. Mahananda and Korotoa rivers close to the border of the Tetulia thana in Panchagarh district and started to divert water for flowing through the Indian Haldlbari. Jalpaiguri and Bihar.
As a result of the withdrawal of the waters, all the major rivers In Bangladesh and their tributaries are now gradually being dried-up. There are thousand of shallow, low-lift and power pumps set-up along both sides of these rivers for irrigation purposes been lying idle for want of water. The navigational in these rivers also facing a great disruption due to minimum required water level there.
According to agricultural experts irrigation facilities would
suffer more in the region which , they say. has already been started.
It may be noted here that in the recent days the entire northern region has becomes self-sufficient In food production due to massive introduction of the cultivation of the' High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of crops utilising large-scale irrigation facilities.
But the current cruel move taken by the Indians to withdraw the river waters will cause a serious impact In the region turning it into a desert.
Bumper aman yield expected
A bumper apian yield of 40 lakh metric tonnes, is expected this season in 16 northern districts under Rajshahi division following favourable weather and application of measured fertilizers by the farmers under the supervision of the field staffs of the Agriculture Extension Department.
The aman paddy cultivation target had exceeded by about one lakh hectares this year In the region which helped producing bumper yield, according to the sources
There was a target to put sixteen lakh and seventeen thousands hectares of land under aman paddy cultivation in these 16 northern districts.
The harvesting of early-sown aman paddy, in the meantime, has been started almost in full swing all over the region and the new aman rice in small quantities found appearing in the markets selling at Taka 10 per kilogram and the traders believe that the aman rice price would fall further.
Construction of bridge demanded
A vital bridge at Shahebgonj Ferry Ghat of Jamuneswarf river in Badargonj thana is yet to be constructed. Thousands of people will suffer much for want of the bridge.
. The local people informed that for one and half decade governments, past*and present gave sincere commitments to construct a bridge at the Shahebgonj ghat, but it is not yet been executed.
The people of the areas now strongly demanded for construction of the bridge there as per the commitments of the governments.