In the Kainmara watershed of Dumuria upazila, Khulna, re-excavating a small canal has changed how land is farmed. Monsoon water used to stay put and there was no irrigation water in the dry season, so farmers could grow only one rice crop a year.
Under an integrated water resources management project run jointly by the Netherlands and Bangladesh, the canal was re-dug with local people taking part. Farmers now use canal water instead of shallow tube wells for about 70 to 80 percent of their irrigation, easing pressure on groundwater.
Besides rice, the area now grows high-value crops such as cucumber, sweet pumpkin, bottle gourd, watermelon, beans, yardlong beans and bitter gourd, sold in local and big national markets. With canal water at hand, women work in the fields alongside men, and many have become self-supporting by growing vegetables and climbing crops on fish-pond embankments and field edges. Women hold 30 percent of seats on the water management committees, and courtyard meetings teach modern growing methods.
Project officials say 92 canals and 71 water reservoirs have been built across 71 unions in Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Narail and Jashore, directly benefiting about 100,000 households. The canals also support fish farming and easier boat transport.
Photo: Kazi Asadullah Al Emran / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Dinajpur TV
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