Construction haor crop protection dams slow
Hundreds of farmers in the haor areas are threatened to submerge their boro paddy fields amid fears of an early influx of water from upstream Indian mountainous regions.
There have been allegations of slow progress in the construction of several important crop protection dams in Haor, Kishoreganj, and Sunamganj.
A human chain was formed under the banner of the Environment and Haor Development Organisation to protest alleged irregularities in waterlogging management and dam construction in Sunamganj.
In addition, there are allegations of negligence and poor-quality work in the construction of these dams. Due to these concerns, farmers have expressed worry about crop protection this season. Officials said that about 150 kilometers of crop protection dams are being constructed across nine upazilas of Kishoreganj under the Water Development Board, through 129 PICs, at a cost of Tk. 23.34 crore.
Local farmers said that the most critical parts of the crop protection damsnumbers 17 and 18 of the Singar Haor sub-project in Mithamoin Upazilaare not yet completed.
The soil has not been properly laid, nor has grass been planted. Questions have also been raised about the quality and durability of the work.
The construction cost of both dams is approximately 3 million taka each, totaling 6 million taka. There are also allegations of irregularities in the construction of dams in Itna and Karimganj haors.
Local farmers have demanded an investigation and action to address these irregularities.
Farmers Abdul Baten and Abdul Ali of Chilimpur village in Dhaki Union of Itna Upazila said there is a risk of tidal water entering the main canals of the haors, some of which have not yet been dammed.
As a result, even a small amount of water pressure could submerge cropland.
Noor Miah, a farmer, said that although most of the dams built last year are almost intact, new allocations have been made for them. Farmer Joynal Abedin of Barakanda village and Billal Hossain of Rahmatpur village said that all dam construction was supposed to be completed by February 28.
However, work on the most vulnerable sections only began in mid-Chaitra. In addition, most of the dams are at risk due to erosion along their sides.
Farmers are worried that their crops could be destroyed if the construction work remains incomplete. They say that if the water level rises, their year-long efforts could be lost overnight. In the meantime, crops have already been severely damaged by several storms and hailstorms.
Ismail, a farmer from Kamalpur village in Mithamoin, said that farmland has been damaged and soil removed near Dam Number 12 of the Bora Haor sub-project in Sadar Union. Meanwhile, officials cite various reasons for the delay. Faizul Islam, president of PIC-18 in Mithamoin Upazila, Chilimpur Barakanda village, claimed that work is delayed due to local obstacles, land-related complications, late delivery of materials, and non-receipt of work bills.
Regarding the issue, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Mithamoin, S. M. Abdullah Bin Shafiq, said that action would be taken if negligence or irregularities are found in the dam work.
Advocate Fazlur Rahman, MP of Kishoreganj-4 (Itna-Mithamoin-Austagram), stated that no one would be exempted if crops are damaged due to dam issues.
Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Engineer of Kishoreganj, Md. Sajjad Hossain, refused to comment on allegations of delays and irregularities in the dam construction.
