Abdus Salam, Dinajpur
Thousands of acres of land will be irrigated during the dry season if the small Jamuna river in Shibnagar Union under Fulbari upazila of Dinajpur is excavated and a rubber dam is constructed at Janipur in the lower reaches.
The river Jamuna has not been re-excavated for one and a half hundred years and silt has accumulated in the upper part of the river. There remains no water in this river during Bengali month Chaitra, which is the driest season of the year. The local people produce various crops in the char area of this river. As a result of not dredging the river, the river is now being used as a dead river.
The government is working to increase water holding capacity by dredging the country's rivers. But there is no initiative to dig the small river Jamuna flowing over Phulbari upazila. During the monsoon season, hundreds of bighas of land belonging to farmers in the river area are being lost to the river.
In Shibnagar, Khairbari and Daulatpur areas, the Water Development Board can prevent this by protecting the two banks of the river. But Water Development Board Dinajpur is not doing any work in Fulbari area. As a result, hundreds of bighas of farmers' land are being lost in the river.
On the other hand, by dredging the river and constructing a rubber dam on the river Jamuna at Janipur in the lower reaches, it is possible to conserve water in this river all year round. And with this water, farmers will be able to cultivate hundreds of bighas of land.
However, the locals cannot say when this rubber dam will be constructed. If water is retained throughout the year, fishermen will be able to cultivate fish and their livelihood will be widened. Fish farmers are now unemployed as there is no water anywhere in this river.
Despite repeated calls from the locals to the higher authorities and local representatives for the construction of rubber drums and for the excavation of the river, the small Jamuna river in the area is not taking any steps for the excavation and construction of rubber drums. Due to which the former char wakes up when the water recedes in a few days even though there is water in the river during the monsoon season.
If we can save the water of this river, on the one hand the farmers will benefit and on the other hand the fish farmers will also benefit. As a result of illegal extraction of sand from the river by a class of people, the land of the farmers is being lost in the river. Despite the administration taking action from time to time, the illegal sand miners are continuing their business.
The local people have sought the immediate intervention of the Minister of Water Resources and the Minister of Local Government to rehabilitate the river.
