Until five years ago, at least 500 farmers pinned their hopes on the paddy of Jayalu beel in Damudya upazila, Shariatpur. Now the fish enclosures of two influential local men stand in their way. The enclosures were built by blocking the small canal beside the beel, the only route for draining its water. As a result, the beel suffers water shortages in the dry season and waterlogging in the monsoon, and the farmers' crops are being ruined.

According to local sources, about 8,000 maunds of paddy are grown in the boro and aman seasons on at least 200 acres of cropland lying between Dikshul mouza in Shidhalkura union and the Jayalu and Bara Naogaon mouzas in East Damudya union. A small canal running beside the beel joins the Jayanti river, and it was the only outlet for rainwater collected in the beel. But for five years, two influential men named Mahabub Miji and Nazir Khan have blocked the canal and farmed fish in enclosures built in two sections.

"They have dug an enclosure and put up a dam across the channel our land drains through," said affected farmer Khalil Bepari. "That is why we cannot grow any crops. The water collects and all the crops go under and are ruined. For five years I have gone hungry with my wife and children."

Farmer Mojibur Rahman Bepari said: "For five years no crops have grown because dams were built in several places in this beel. The farmers of this area are in serious trouble. We have only one demand of the authorities: that they act quickly to drain the beel."

Local farmer Mohammad Hanifa Mollah said: "I have seen a canal here since I was born. For a few years Mahabub Miji and Nazir saheb have built a dam where the canal was and made a fish project. We objected at the time but they did not listen. They dug the earth at night. Now because of this dam, aus and aman paddy no longer grow."

Affected farmer Sentu Hossain said: "Our land is now waist-deep in rainwater, with no way for it to drain. All our paddy is being ruined. We have only one demand of the government: that it arranges for this water to drain."

Enclosure owner Mahabub Miji declined to comment. But the other owner, Nazir Khan, told Jago News the site of the enclosure is the private property of Ratan Howlader, not government land. "It is true that because the land slopes, the beel's water used to drain through it. We later leased it and dug an enclosure to farm fish. But at the request of the upazila administration, and with the farmers in mind, we laid a pipe under the enclosure embankment for drainage. The pipe broke last season, which caused this problem. We will fix it in a few days."

Damudya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Hasiba Khan told Jago News: "We have sent the assistant commissioner (land) and the union land officer to the site. It has been decided to install drains and pipes for drainage, and I have spoken to the upazila engineer; work will start soon. It has also been agreed that those who built the enclosures will quickly lower the water in them and cut a channel along the side of the enclosures as before."

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