Farmers in the hilly parts of Mirsarai upazila in Chattogram are irrigating their fields from dug wells whose pumps run on solar power, with no grid connection and no diesel. Land that used to lie fallow for want of water is being farmed again.
The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) installed six dug wells in Mirsarai in the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years under its project for irrigation using surface water in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts; four of them are in Karerhat union. Solar panels power a pump that lifts water from the well into the fields.
In East Olinagar about 20 acres that used to stay uncultivated are now farmed. Farmer Nur Hossain Mia said about five bighas of his land lay fallow every dry season; now he has water for rice seedbeds, boro and aman, and for cabbage, cauliflower, beans, bottle gourd, chilli, aubergine, tomato and potato.
Farmer Md Israfil said diesel price rises had pushed up irrigation costs, while from the dug well he can water his land for just Tk 100. Another farmer, Abul Kashem, said that because it needs neither electricity nor diesel, water can be drawn whenever it is needed.
BADC assistant engineer Tamal Das said Mirsarai's sandy hill soil and water table suit dug wells, and called them a promising way to make farming in remote areas cheaper and greener. The wells now irrigate rice, vegetables and fruit.
Where there is no electricity but plenty of sun, the method makes irrigation possible. Relying less on diesel lowers both farmers' costs and carbon emissions.
Reporting: Agricare24 desk.
Photo: Its.masud / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Agricare24
Comments
(0)