More emphasis should be given on adopting time-fitting projects to protect environment and biodiversity from the adverse impact of climate change in the region, the vast Barind tract in
particular.
Adequate measures should be taken to lessen the gradually mounting pressure on the groundwater table. So, time has come to undertake projects of enriching the surface water resources to meet up the present demand.
More efficiency in irrigation has become a necessity for reducing the misuse of water alongside decreasing agriculture production cost.
The observations came at a meeting between the officials of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and the General Economic Division (GED) of the Bangladesh Planning Commission held at BMDA conference hall in Rajshahi city Thursday afternoon.
GED Member Dr Kawsar Ahmed and BMDA Chairman Begum Akhter Jahan addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively with BMDA Executive Director Engineer Abdur Rashid in the chair.
BMDA Additional Chief Engineers Shamsul Huda and Nazirul Islam, Superintending Engineers Iqbal Hossain and Mahfuzur Rahman, Project Directors Shariful Haque and ATM Rafiqul Islam and Executive Engineer Sumanta Kumar Bosak also spoke.
The meeting observed that the existing irrigation method has increased misuse of water adding pressure on both ground and surface water posing a serious threat to ecology.
So, some major parameters like water distribution system, irrigation scheme management system, water marketing system, sources of water, source of energy, Alternate Wetting Drying (AWD) and types of pumps should be brought under consideration.
The meeting reviewed all activities and progress of BMDA projects elaborately and took some important decisions in this regard, the meeting sources said.
BMDA, the pioneering state-owned irrigation providing organisation in the northwest of Bangladesh, has brought 752,000 hectares including 2.61 lakh hectares of irri-boro land under irrigation facilities through operating 14,090 power-driven deep tube wells (DTWs).
The irrigated lands have yielded around 618,000 tonnes of extra crops, especially food grain in the region of the vast Barind Tract per year. Engineer Abdur Rashid painted an overview of its ongoing projects and progress of those. He said the region scored significant progress in the crop
production sector following the expansion of irrigation facilities along with supplying water from the re-excavated canals and ponds.
Yearly crop production has been enhanced to 34.32 lakh tonnes from 7.56 lakh, crop intensity to 226 percent from 117 percent while annual rainfall rose to 64 inches from 54.99 inches.
Currently, five projects are being implemented in different districts
where around 50-60 percent of the total work has been completed as the rest is expected to be executed in phases by June next year.
Engineer Abdur Rashid mentioned that additional 68.90 lakh tonnes of food grains are supposed to be produced in the region if the remaining 5.83 lakh hectares of non-irrigated cultivable land were brought under irrigation.