Thirty-two of the 572 officially listed flowing canals in Bangladesh's Khulna district are being dug or re-excavated this year. Those involved hope that once water flows freely again, farmland will drain more easily in the monsoon and the canals will offer an alternative source of irrigation water in the dry season.
Khulna's many canals, linked to its rivers, once carried off surplus monsoon water, supplied irrigation in the dry months and gave native fish room to move and breed. Silt, encroachment, unplanned building and blocked flows have narrowed many of them or cut them off. The result is waterlogged fields in the rains and irrigation shortages in the dry season, which hurt both harvests and farm incomes.
Md Abdul Karim, Khulna's district relief and rehabilitation officer, said the BRDC, the BVM, the Bangladesh Water Development Board and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) had carried out canal digging in the district. Heavy rain made it impossible to dig some of the listed canals.
Using canal water for irrigation would reduce reliance on groundwater, and lower pumping and fuel bills would cut production costs. Those involved believe better water management would encourage farmers to grow vegetables and other high-value crops alongside rice. The gains, they caution, depend on the canals holding enough water throughout the year.
Flowing canals could also restore conditions for native fish to move and breed, protect habitat for aquatic plants and animals, and open the way to planned fish farming that gives local people another source of income.
Farmers' leader Md Rafiqul Islam called for keeping the dug canals free of encroachment, preventing new grabs, keeping river and canal mouths open, managing water in step with the tides and removing silt on a plan. Those involved also want farmers, local representatives, the agriculture department, water agencies and environmental activists involved in deciding which canals to dig first and how to maintain them; otherwise silt and encroachment could return the canals to their old state. Agricare24 published the report citing the Daily Inqilab.
Photo: Ashikul Islam Anik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Source: Agricare24
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