IRRI-Boro cultivation is being hampered greatly in the northern and south-western districts due to scarcity of irrigation water.
Our Pabna Correspondent reports : From December last year there had been no rainfall throughout the district.
The normal life has been paralysed both in rural and urban areas of all the nine thanas.
Almost 80 per cent of the rural areas had been affected badly due to the uprecedented flood. Lakhs of people lost their homes with all their belongings. Thousands of cattles died either by drowing for want of food and shelter. I.akhs of acres of land faced complete or partial damage of standing crops including Aman paddy, jute and winter vegetables. Over five lakhs of agricultural labourers remained idle.
Severe drought has been prevailing throughout the district
According to official sources, 48,520 hectares of land have been brought under cultivation of high-yielding and local varieties of IRRI-Boro paddy this year under Intensive Agricultural Rehabilitation Programme. But. the fanners are now apprehending a severe short fall in the production target due to the persisting drought. Meanwhile, over 100 deep and about 350 shallow tubewells have become inoperative due to abnormal and pa-pid fall in the ground water level and also due to severe loadshedding. Rural unemployment has reached its peak-
Cracks have appeared in the cultivable land. The lands have become hard, like stone. Movement of people in 'hats' and bazaars has also fallen down. Farmers have been selling their cattles and land at low prices merely for their subsistence.
In the urban areas, demand for cold drinks, green cocoanuts has increased. Towns wear a deserted look from 11 am to 4 pm due to the scorching sun. Rickshawpullers are not plying their vehicles regularly.
An earlier report of Pabna correspondent says : Continuous drought has caused untold sufferings to the people.
Normal life of people has been completely disrupted. Economic life has also come to a standstill.
River communication has been disrupted due to sharp fall in water level of rivers. Ferri services between Kazirhat and Aricha and also between Paksey and Bheramara have been facing problems due to unprecedented fall in water-level oF*tHe Jamuna and the Padma.
While visiting the abandoned Nagorebari ferry ghat recently this correspondent found found a vast tract of sand in the
Jamuna river bed with no trace of any water vessel plying or standing nearby.
This correspondent saw only big and small shoals in the river bed. Attempts of dredging along the river Jamuna seemed to be futile. When this correspondent moved further, he noticed that Natakhola ferryghat which was inaugurated in November in 1997 has also been facing the same fate of Nagar-bari ghat. Natakhola ferry ghat became unserviceable only after 12 months of its commissioning. The ghat was again shifted to Kazirhat. two kilometres down stream from the Natakhola ferry ghat. This ferry ghat already wears a deserted look.
Ultimately the government decided to shift the ferry ghat to Natilpur further down stream from the next year.
Similar is the condition of Paksey-Bheramara ferry ghat over the Padma.
Meanwhile.the drought situation has also caused pricehike of essential commodities here.
Our Jessore Correspondent says : Prospect of IRRI-Boro cultivation is bleak in 10 districts of the south-western zone duirng the current season due to continued drought since November last year.
As such the growers have become very much disappointed.
Most of the irrigation machines. particularly the shallow machines have become inoperative.
Sharp fall in ground water level has triggered this situation. Unofficially, a total of 1.000 shallow tubewells in this zone have become inoperative. A total of 483 shallow tubewells in Jessore. 100 in Satkhira. 18 in Jhenidah and eight in Magura have gone out of order.
When contacted, the Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department (AED), Jessore zone, told that 1.346 shallow tubewells, in different districts under this zone, have been resunk recendy.
Moreover. 647 new shallow tubewells, including 465 in Satkhira. 173 in Jhenidah and eight in Magura districts have been sunk. Despite all the odds. Jessore AED office sources hope a bumper production of IRRI-Boro paddy in this season if no other natural disaster including pest-attack occurs.
Incidentally, during the current season, IRRI-Boro have been cultivated on 3,56,290 hec-tres of thad. It is 91.410 hectares more than the original target.
The target was 2.64.582 hectares.
When contacted, a number of farmers complained to this correspondent, besides the prevailing drought, the persisting loadshedding has become a great threat to IRR1 -Boro culti-
vation.
Giving details, they informed, in recent time, loadshedding has become a regular phenomenon and supply of power remains suspended for nours together every day.
They further told . if this situation continues, the production of IRRI-Boro crops will be hampered causing heavy financial loss to farmers.
Our Kushtia correspondent reports: Irri-Boro cultivation in six thanas of the district is being hampered due to scarcity of irrigation water.
Most of the deep tubewells sunk with the help of BADC a few years back are not working well. More than 15 lakh people of six thanas in the district are dependent on IRRI-Boro cultivation. They are facing difficulties in this dry season as Ganges-Kobadak project authorities have failed to provide irrigation water. This is because of the authorities' failure in operating the main pump house as the dredging work of the intake channel could not be completed.
At present, there are 250 deep tubewells in Daulatpur. 70 in Khoksa. 100 in Kumarkhali, 20 in Mirpur and 40 in sadar thanas. Most of the tubewells need to be repaired as those are not working in full capacity.
A Jamalpur Correspondent says : Farmers have been facing a severe drought during this IRRl-Boro farming season.
At the begining of March the fields had dried up and cracks had developed due to severe heat. The level of ground water has been receding fast. Shallow tubewells have been reinstalled under seven to 10 feet depth from ground to get water layer in some unions in Rashidpur. Sreepur. Goradap. Itail and Shahbajpur. Water bodies have been drying up rapidly.
No rain was recorded in the district since the last few months.
According to Agriculture Extension Department (AED) over 90.000 hactares of land have been brought under IRRI-Boro cultivation this year. Farmers are totally dependent on irrigation and fertilisers. While visiting some fields, the farmers told this correspondent If this situation persists further. soil will become more harder and it will hit the crops adversely.
Meanwhile, price-hike of fertiliser has created discontent among the farmers. Fertilisers are being sold in various prices in different parts of the district. In some places a bag of 50 kgs urea fertiliser is being sold between Taka 330 to 340 and in other places between Taka 350 to 360.
Farmers have ui ged the authorities concerned io take necessary steps to ensure smmoth supply of power and fertilisers
considering the IRRI-Boro cultivation.
UNB from Khulna reports: Irri-Boro cultivation in five thanas of the district is being hampered due to the prevailing drought at the peak of the season.
The affected thanas Included Dakop, Dumuria, Paikgachha. Koira and Rupsha.
Local farmers said the growth of their plants is under threat, as there is no rainfall here over the last couple of months.
Generally they depend on canals and water bodies for irrigation. but almost all of these have already been dried up.
There is no deep tube-well in the area and the growers have no opportunity to lift ground water to continue irrigation work.
The worst affected are the sesame growers as the plants are yet to germinate due to lack of water though it was sown about a month ago.
The situation will aggravate further if there is no rain within the next few days, the farmers apprehended.
They urged the officials concerned to install deep tube-wells in the areas to enable them to irrigate their lands.
UNB from Panchagarh reports: With the advent of dry season irrigation has become difficult for the farmers across the district posing serious threat to agriculture.
Of the total arable land, so far over four per cent could be brought, under irrigation facility. Owners of the rest land are completely dependent on the mercy of rain for irrigation and cultivation.
According to Agriculture Extension Department statistics. the total area of arable land here in 1.04.222.67 hectares. Only 4.758 hectares of land (4.18 per cent of the total area) could be brought under irrigation with the help tubewells and power pumps.
Agriculture officials said the rest 99.465 hectares of land are out of the facility.
Local indigenous irrigation system in the district is also absent as natural source of water like canal and river went dry at the very beginning of the dry season. The situation worsened further with unilateral withdrawal of water by India through constructing dams and barrages in the upstream.
Besides, irrigation in the cropland is being hampered as many tube-wells and power pumps have been rendered inoperative due to abnormal fall in ground water level.
Official sources said of the total 165,deep. 1.664 shallow tube wells and 14 power pumps. 70 deep. 201 shallow tube-wells and three power pumps remained out of operation for long.