Uncertainty About Power Supply to Kashimpur Pump House in Moulvibazar
Kawadighi farmers worried ahead of boro harvest
Kashimpur pump house on Koradair canal under Monu River Irrigation Project in Moulvibazar district, set up to pump out excess water from Kawadighi Haor to save boro paddy from flooding during the harvest season, fails to give any assurance to the farmers this season as five of its pumps are out of order while electricity supply remains erratic.Photo: STAR
Uncertainty about electricity supply to Kashimpur pump house, meant for pumping out excess water from Kawadighi Haor water body to the Kushiyara River to save standing boro crops from inundation, has become a matter of concern for the farmers ahead of boro harvest. Failure to drain out the excess water due to lack of power supply to the pump house set up on Koradair canal in Moulvibazar district, may cause inundation of the entire area in case of heavy rainfall and if it happens before or during the boro harvest, farmers will incur huge losses, locals said. Uncertainty about uninterrupted power supply has arisen as another power line has been connected with the power supply line of Kashimpur pump house, said sources of Water Development Board (WDB). A 24-kilometre electric line from Fenchuganj power station to Kashimpur through Moulvibazar was installed with the fund of WDB to connect the power sub-station installed at Kashimpur Pump House to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the boro season. WDB also bears the maintenance cost for Fenchuganj- Moulvibazar-Kashimpur power line. Eight pumps with capacity of pumping out of 150 cubic feet of water per second were installed at the pump house in 1980. Meantime, normal life duration of these pumps has expired and only three of the pumps are operative now. The WDB official source said they are hopeful about repair and operation of four of the five inoperative pumps this season. A new problem has appeared as the Power Development Board (PDB) has connected Kulaura-Juri-Baralekha electricity supply line with Fenchuganj-Moulvibazar-Kashimpur supply line connecting the pump house of the WDB. Now power supply in Fenchuganj-Moulvibazar-Kashimpur line disrupts automatically when Kulaura-Juri-Baralekha line 'trips', making Kashimpur pump house inoperative, WDB sources said. Besides summer storms damaged the electric line at different points. The boro harvest will start within a few days and the pump house has to be kept fully ready during the harvesting period but uncertainty prevails due to the above mentioned situation. "The PDB has connected Kulaura-Juri-Baralekha line with Fenchuganj-Moulvibazar-Kashimpur line of the WDB without our consent. This connection should be off immediately to ensure smooth power supply to Kashimpur pump house in the boro harvesting season," said Md Mostafizur Rahman, executive engineer of the WDB, Moulvibazar. Sirajul Islam, executive engineer of the PDB, Moulvibazar, said they had to take connection from Fenchuganj-Moulvibazar-Kashimpur line as the 'breakers' of Kulaura-Juri-Baralekha power line went out of order a few months ago. Now they have received five 'breakers' and the problem will be over after installation of these at Fenchuganj.
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