Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has provided irrigation to over 5.32 lakh hectares of croplands in the country's northwest region during the last 2020-21 fiscal contributing a lot to boosting production.
The huge croplands were brought under irrigation facilities through 15,537 power-driven deep tube wells (DTWs) and 519 low lift pumps in almost round the year.
The BMDA, the largest irrigation-providing state organisation in the region, has earned around Taka 181.53 crore as irrigation charge in the last fiscal.
Engineer Abdur Rashid, Executive Director of BMDA, said that the irrigated lands have yielded more than 34.32 lakh tonnes including 26.76 lakh tonnes of additional crops of around Taka 4,348.5 crore in the region especially in the vast Barind tract yearly.
Till June last, the BMDA activated 4,332 inoperative deep tube-wells, installed 601 low lift pumps, re-excavated 2063-kilometer canals and 3257 derelict ponds. It has also constructed and expanded 12354.40-kilometer water distribution infrastructures alongside setting up 1579 drinking water supply installations, 572 dug wells and 749 cross-dams, which ensured a sound irrigation system.
In addition to imparting training to 1,51,097 farmers, around 2.59 crore saplings of various fruit, timber and herbal trees were planted in the command area to protect environment and meet the growing demands for fruits and timber in the region.
The region saw significant progress in the crop production sector following the expansion of irrigation facilities along with supplying water from the re-excavated canals and ponds.
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Even around 35 to 36 years back, only a single crop could have been produced in the areas depending on the rainfall. But, at present, at least three crops are being harvested by dint of the expanded irrigation facilities.
Around 57.57 percent of the total cultivable land of the region has, so far, been brought under the irrigation facilities.
During the recent past years, the BMDA has been promoting surface water irrigation in many of the water-stressed areas in order to lessen the gradually mounting pressure on underground water. Jahangir Alam Khan, Coordinator of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project, said promotion of surface water irrigation instead of depending only on the groundwater-based ones is very important for the region to mitigate water scarcity.
BMDA has been implementing various need-oriented uplift programmes aimed at improving the socioeconomic conditions by increasing crop production side by side protecting the region from adverse impact of climate change.
The implemented projects have yielded significant success in crop production and make an ecological balance. Those are also creating jobs for the unemployed people and also ensuring various facilities along with an environment- friendly weather in the region.