Saline Water Enters Thru' Damaged Dyke
Aman farming on vast areas of Patuakhali uncertain
A portion of the flood control dyke has been washed away in Nizampur area of Mohipur village in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali, allowing saline water to enter the crop fields.Photo: STAR
Aman cultivation on around 40 thousand hectares of land in Kalapara upazila under the district faces uncertainty as the farmlands are flooded by saline water entering through the damaged parts of flood control embankments during high tides. About five km areas of the embankment have collapsed and more 13 km areas are under threat in the upazila, said locals and sources of Water Development Board (WDB). About 1.5 km flood control embankment at Char Kazal launch ghat area has been totally washed away in the river and more three km embankment in the area is under threat. The Ramnabad River washed away about 2 km area of the embankment in Gazir Khal and Munshipara area at Lalua village under the upazila while more five km embankment area remains highly vulnerable. "Our farmlands are becoming unfit for cultivation of aman paddy as saline water floods the lands during high tides," said Asmot Ali, 60, a farmer of Chowdhuripara area. Altaf Hossain and Majed Sikder of the same village said they would be deprived of aman paddy if saline water regularly enters their farmland. "Frequent flooding by saline water decreases fertility of agricultural lands and gradually it becomes unfit for crop production," said Md Nizam Uddin, chairman of agro-chemistry department of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU). Rezaul Karim Biswas, chairman of Lalua union parishad (UP), said most agriculture lands in the union are affected by saline water as the flood control embankment breached at four points. "We already sent letters to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Patuakhali and to water resource ministry demanding necessary step to repair the damaged embankment," he said. Abdul Maleq Akon, chairman of Khaprabhanga UP, said, "Farmlands in this area usually produce one crop a year. Farmers will badly suffer if saline water entering through damaged parts of embankments floods the lands regularly." Md Safi Uddin, executive engineer of WDB in Kalapara, said, "Repair of the damaged embankments will not be possible this year as this is the rainy season. We have already sent letters to the ministry concerned praying for allocation of Tk 13 crore for the purpose."
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