The development organisation BRAC has developed a new technology for farmers in the Nilganj area of Kalapara upazila, Patuakhali: a solar panel-powered mobile irrigation pump for watering fields in the dry season. It is designed so it can be set up easily anywhere to lift water from ponds, canals or reservoirs using solar power.

The pump has already become popular with local farmers. Depending on size, each costs Tk 7 lakh to Tk 9 lakh to build, according to those involved.

Pump operator Md. Sajib runs it every day from morning to afternoon. "Those who take water are happy. Their costs have fallen, and I earn some income too," he said. When there is no irrigation work, he uses the same auto-rickshaw to carry passengers and farm produce, and farmers call him at the start of the season to transport fertiliser and seed.

Farmer Nitai Chandra said that when he needs irrigation he calls Sajib, who arrives with the pump, sets it up on the bank of a canal or pond, and water starts flowing using solar power. Costs are low and there is no trouble with transport, making it a very useful technology.

Tousif Ahmed Qureshi, senior programme manager of BRAC's Climate Change Programme, said farmers face new challenges because of climate change. The solar irrigation technology is not only making farming easier but also cutting costs and creating new income, and it is environmentally friendly, sustainable and essential for future farming, he said. BRAC plans to expand it step by step to other regions of the country.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.