Aman cultivation on 2,000 acres uncertain for water logging
Serious blow to over 1,000 Patuakhali farmers
Persistent water logging, caused due to closure of a sluice gate to facilitate a fish project, destroys seedbeds of aman paddy at Bhuiyar Howla village in newly formed Rangabali upazila (formerly a part of Galachipa upazila) under Patuakhali district.Photo: STAR
Aman cultivation on about 2,000 acres of land in three villages under newly formed Rangabali upazila has suffered a serious blow due to artificial water logging as a sluice gate has been kept closed for facilitating fish project. Over a thousand local farmers are yet to prepare seedbeds to cultivate aman paddy though time of sowing aman seed is already over. A few farmers sowed seeds on their field but all have rotten, as the fields are 2/3 feet under water. Farmers of three villages -- Bhuiyar Howla, Chhotobaishdia and Kawkhali -- said that the adverse situation has been created as the lone sluice gate on Kawkhali canal is shut for two months for fish project allegedly run by a local ruling party man who is also a close associate of local union parishad (UP) chairman. Siddiq Khalifa, a farmer of Bhuiyar Howla village, said “I sowed 4-maunds of aman seed on the seed beds 25 days ago but all have rotten as the land is still under water”. Abdur Razzak Hawlader, another farmer of the same area, told this correspondent “I could not plough my 1.50 land because of water logging." “We informed the matter to the local UP chairman but there is no step yet to solve the problem although the season for sowing aman is almost over”, Razzak added. Razzak Dewan, a close associate of UP chairman and also a ruling party activist closed the lone sluice gate on the Kawkhali canal for the sake of his fish project, farmers said while alleging the UP chairman's inaction in this regard. Contacted, Razzak Dewan, however, said that he took lease of the canal from local union parishad chairman to cultivate fish. He however failed to show any documents in favour of his claim. The UP chairman gave the permission verbally, he said. UP chairman for Chhotobaishdia union, also joint secretary of Rangabali upazila unit AL, Abdul Mannan Howlader, refuting Dewan's claim, said he did not lease the canal to anyone. "A group of locals closed the sluice gate though it is the lone canal to remove stagnant water from agri lands in the three villages," he said. “I have written to the Water Development Board (WDB) on July 28 to open the sluice gate”, the UP chairman said adding “I hope the water will be removed within a week solving the farmers problem”. Md Abul Bashar, deputy assistant divisional engineer for WDB in Galachipa, said it is totally illegal to cultivate fish by closing the sluice gates. "We will open the sluice gate in a couple of days," he said.
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