The irrigation canal titled Shiriskath Khal in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah could not come to any effect when there was some error during construction of the gate, said the farmers.
They said only two vents were set up to regulate the water in the six kilometre length over last two decades. As a result the farmers of the area have been deprived of irrigation water during Boro and other seasons and the water is over flown to surrounding areas during monsoon and flood, said the farmers.
Farmers said the local government engineering department (LGED) had dug the Kuntikhal canal at a cost o taka 32.47 thousand in 1998-99 fiscal and made a two-channel sluice-gate to regulate the irrigation water aiming at supplying the same for crop farming at Balarampur village. But the authorities had allegedly wrongly installed tow vents out of four. As a result the rain and other water cannot be removed smoothly through the said two vents.
Farmers of six villages like Moheswarchanda, Balarampur, Bholpara, Balakandar and Aruashoil were assured of supplying adequate water on a total of 20 thousand hectares of land for farming round the year. But the huge tract of land was going without irrigation water supply when the said sluice gates fail to provide smooth services.
Farmers said eminent agriculture scientist Dr. Gul Hossain as requested by renowned farmers’ organizers Ayub Hossain and Omar Ali has arranged the canal digging with the assistance of the then chief engineer of the LGED Qamrul Islam Siddiquee.
They said the renowned personalities and local union parishad member Sazedul Haque Liton had requested the authority to renovate the inoperative sluic-gate which could not come to any effect in over two decades. Now the farmers in the area have been using deep tube well pumps water for irrigation purposes that has been increasing their production cost.
Shirishhal canal management committee president Altaf Hossain of Darigabindapur village in Kaliganj when contacted said they engineers had installed two vents out of required four which cannot ensure smooth water supply during the monsoon. Further, the surrounding area goes under water due to over flow in the canal.
Fahima Khatun, a sociologist of LGED in Jhenaidah when contacted said they had realized the limitation of the canal and informed the matter in to the notice of the authority concern.
She said as the canal could play role in boosting crop production and strengthen socio-economic state of the farmers in six villages, she is hopeful to ease the troubles of the farmers within a short time.
