Known as ‘Mini-Cox's Bazar’, the Halti Beel of Natore is now infested with miles of water hyacinth. As the water of the beel is receding, farmers of the beel areas are preparing to cultivate Rabi crops and Boro paddy in the beel land but their effort is poised to astray due to a massive accumulation of water hyacinth over the beel water.
Farmers of the area complained the water hyacinth has been accumulated in the beel-land due to erection of dam or bundh (barrier) through the beel for fish cultivation by influential political leaders.
As a result, hundreds of acres of the fertile land of some 5,000 farmers of Halti beel areas have turned unfit for cultivation of Rabi crop and Boro paddy. The farmers, however, were trying to remove the water hyacinth from their beel land through their own initiative. The Naldanga Upazila administration is learnt to conduct the operation to remove the dam only.
According to sources, farmers of Naldanga upazila have incurred a loss of at least Taka 100 million in the two-time flood. Now, water being receded, farmers of Halti beel areas started to prepare their land for next crop cultivation with a fresh initiative of recouping the loss. But, their initiative is being thwarted with the rush of water hyacinth in their field.
To remove the water hyacinth, the farmers are exploiting extra labour and expenditure. They have demanded to clear their field by removing the water hyacinth but the influential quarters who are responsible for the accumulation of the water hyacinth have refused to clear those. At the same time, Upazila administration is also trying to evade the responsibility.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Fouzia Ferdous informed water hyacinth has been accumulated in 25-hectares of cultivable land in Halti beel.
Upazila Fisheries Officer Sanjoy Kumar informed, action is being taken against illegal Pisciculturists who have blocked the normal flow of water by erecting bund (barrier) inside the beel.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdullah Al Mamun informed, operation was conducted against those illegal fish cultivators earlier and it will also continue in future.