Eighty-five per cent of the work on crop-protection embankments in the haors of Netrokona was finished by the set deadline, with 15 per cent still remaining. The authorities say the late recession of water from the haors has meant the work is taking a little longer.

Under the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) policy, work on the embankments was to begin on 15 December and be completed by 28 February. The deputy commissioner said the deadline had been extended by a week in view of the situation.

According to the district BWDB and local sources, 206 projects have been taken up this year to build crop-protection embankments in the district's haor areas. An allocation of Tk 43 crore 8 lakh was sought, and Tk 20 crore has been received in the first phase. The projects include 115 in Khaliajuri, 24 in Madan, 25 in Mohanganj and 26 in Kalmakanda.

The BWDB says average progress so far is 85 per cent: 81 per cent in Khaliajuri, 87.04 per cent in Mohanganj, 80 per cent in Atpara, 83.7 per cent in Barhatta, and 80 per cent in Madan, Kalmakanda and Purbadhala.

Local farmers fear that because the work was not finished on time, an early flood could ruin their crops.

The agriculture department says the target this year is to produce 2 lakh 46 thousand tonnes of rice on 41,000 hectares in the district's haor areas, with a market value of about Tk 741 crore 60 lakh.

Kajal Chowdhury, a farmer in the Gaglajur area of Mohanganj and president of the local Haor Rokkha Parishad, told Jago News that boro rice is the haor farmers' only crop. Farmers meet a whole year's household costs from it, and a single crop loss is felt all year. He said the timing of the work means that if an early flood comes, the embankments will come under pressure. Part of the permanent Charhaijda embankment broke late last year, and if it is not repaired in time this year the whole haor's crop will be at risk.

Mohsin Mia, a farmer in Piranhati village in Khaliajuri upazila headquarters, told Jago News that the embankment work was making good progress this year. Last year the late recession of haor water delayed the start of work. "But the water is still a month away. I hope the work will be done before then," he said. A permanent embankment along seven kilometres of the Kirtankhola embankment would protect the crops on 41,000 hectares of the haor area, he added.

A member of an embankment project implementation committee (PIC), who did not want to be named, said only 30 per cent of the money for the work had been paid so far, although some embankments were 80 to 90 per cent finished. "Now we can't pay the labourers," he said. "The problem is that money for last year's embankment work is still outstanding. If the government does not pay quickly, we get into trouble for doing the work."

The district administration and BWDB have stepped up efforts to finish the work, and it is being monitored locally.

Khaliajuri upazila nirbahi officer Ruel Sangma said more than 85 per cent of the work on all 115 projects in Khaliajuri had been completed, and only sloping and grass planting remained.

Md Sarwar Jahan, executive engineer of BWDB Netrokona, told Jago News that although work on some embankments started a little late because the haor water receded late, they were trying to finish quickly. An average of 85 per cent of the work was already done, and 85 per cent had been completed in Khaliajuri upazila. "There is no reason for farmers to worry," he said. The embankments are being monitored round the clock, he added, and Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque and senior BWDB officials had already inspected crop-protection embankments in various haors of the district.

Netrokona Deputy Commissioner Anjana Khan Majlish told Jago News: "This year we started work on time, on 15 December. Water receded late in some haors, so the work has been somewhat delayed. We hope all the work will be finished within the next week."

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