S DILIP ROY, Lalmonirhat

While the government has fixed the rate for irrigation water supply from the Teesta Irrigation Project at Tk 480 per acre throughout the year, farmers are reportedly paying Tk 1,000.

This discrepancy has led to frustration among farmers in the project area. However, authorities from the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) claimed that no additional money is being taken from farmers.

The payments for irrigation water are made through local farmers’ associations, they added.

BWDB officials said approximately 1,00,000 farmers have cultivated Boro rice on 1,23,500 acres of land under the project across six districts: Rangpur, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, and Bogura.

Irrigation water is supplied through a 750-kilometre canal network from the project.

The government earns Tk 5,92,80,000 for supplying irrigation water to 1,23,500 acres at the rate of Tk 480 per acre.

Farmers, however, alleged that local associations have collected Tk 12,35,00,000 from them for irrigation water supply to 1,23,000 acres at the rate of Tk 1,000 per acre.

While the association leaders paid the government fee of Tk 5,92,80,000, the additional Tk 6,42,29,000 remains unaccounted for, the farmers alleged.

Rashidul Islam, a 65-year-old farmer from Nilphamari’s Dimla upazila, said he has been growing crops using irrigation water from the project for the past 30 years.

“I had to pay Tk 1,000 to receive irrigation water for one acre of land, despite the government rate being Tk 480. I don’t know where the extra Tk 520 went. I paid the amount through the local association. However, they did not give me any receipt for it,” he said.

Abdur Rahim, a 70-year-old farmer from the same area, alleged that the extra money is shared between the association leaders and BWDB officials.

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