Every deep tube well run by the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) is to be powered by solar energy to cut irrigation costs for farmers in the Barind Tract. The directive came from Rehan Asif Asad, adviser with the rank of state minister to the posts, telecommunications and ICT ministry and the science and technology ministry, at a meeting with officials at BMDA headquarters in Rajshahi on Tuesday evening (20 October).
Running the wells on solar power would reduce dependence on grid electricity and save on operating costs, he said, benefiting farmers and spreading environmentally friendly technology in agriculture. "There is great potential to expand the use of solar power in Barind irrigation," he said.
Irrigation has to be modernised and technology used more widely so that farmers can water their fields easily and cheaply, he said, while making sure water is used properly so that production costs come down.
Citing the Prime Minister's instruction to increase renewable energy in government institutions, he said BMDA and related bodies should install and use solar power, lowering electricity bills and helping protect the environment.
BMDA executive director Md Jahangir Alam Khan chaired the meeting, attended by additional chief engineer Dr Md Abul Kashem, secretary Md Mehedi Hasan and other officials. The report gives no figure for how many wells will be converted, or by when.
The report is by Dhaka Tribune's Rajshahi correspondent.
Photo: Power Division, Government of Bangladesh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Dhaka Tribune
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