Northern agriculture at risk: Silt buildup in Teesta canals threatens irrigation

Md Atowar Rahman, Nilphamari :

Farmers across Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, and Rangpur districts fear a severe irrigation crisis in the ongoing irrigation season due to prolonged neglect of sediment removal from the Teesta Irrigation Project canals. The accumulation of silt in the main and tail-end canals has significantly disrupted water flow, putting reliable irrigation for vast agricultural lands at serious risk.
Sources said that although nearly 35 years have passed since the construction of the Teesta Irrigation Project’s main and branch canals, no effective initiative has been taken to remove sediment or carry out comprehensive rehabilitation. As a result, continuous silt deposition since the project’s inception has drastically reduced canal navigability, making it impossible to supply water as required.
Mosharraf Hossain Mintoo, Chairman of Naotara Union Parishad in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari, said, “After the construction of the Teesta main canal between 1990 and 1992, sediment has never been removed. A huge amount of silt has accumulated inside the canal. I am also involved in farming. While silt carried to farmland increases soil fertility, excessive sediment inside the canal severely reduces water flow. If sediment removal and rehabilitation are carried out promptly, farmers will benefit greatly.”
Md. Maidul Islam, Sub-Assistant Engineer of the Dalia office of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), stated, “The designated bed level of the main canal was around 47.78 meters datum to nearly 4 meters. Currently, due to sediment deposition, it has dropped to just over three meters.

If sediment is not removed immediately, the situation will become even more alarming in the future.”
BWDB Executive Engineer at Dalia, Amitabh Chowdhury, said,
“From the Silt Trap Baispukur to Dundibari, approximately 17.910 kilometers of the main canal has an average sediment accumulation of about 0.85 meters at the lower bed level. If sediment is not removed from the main irrigation canal, farmers in this region will be deprived of irrigation facilities, which will have a major negative impact on agricultural production.”
Farmers allege that without immediate action to remove sediment and rehabilitate the canals, the production of Boro rice and other crops will be severely disrupted. This would not only affect farmers but also harm overall food production and the local economy of the northern region.
Local residents and farmers’ organizations have demanded urgent measures to remove sediment and modernize the main and branch canals of the Teesta Irrigation Project to ensure uninterrupted irrigation facilities for farmers during the current and upcoming irrigation seasons.