Home ›› 05 Apr 2023 ›› Nation
The livelihood of thousands of people, living in the Teesta River basin areas, has been hit hard as the mighty river has dried up due to a lack of water.
Local sources said inadequate water flow from the upstream in the transboundary Teesta River has been hampering livelihood, agriculture and biodiversity in the river basin areas of the northern districts- Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Gaibandha.
The depth of the river has become knee-deep long and waist-deep in many places due to the unilateral withdrawal of water upstream. Deposition of silt has led to the formation of many Char areas in the river beds.
Locals and experts said about 102 kilometres, out of the 115-kilometre course of the river flowing inside Bangladesh -- from Lalmonirhat’s Teesta Barrage to the river’s confluence in Kurigram completely dried up.
As a result, thousands of people, who depend on the river, have been struggling to earn their livelihood for a long.
Officials of the Water Development Board (WDB) said the river remains completely dried up for almost months of the year except from July to October,
The environment began to change and loss of biodiversity in the northern districts when our neighbouring country India constructed a barrage across the Teesta River at Gazaldoba, about 70km upstream of Bangladesh’s Teesta Barrage Irrigation Project at Dalia in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila, in 1983.
Earlier the average flow of water throughout the river in Bangladesh area was 4,000 to 4,500 cusecs.
Jadu Miah, 45, a farmer of Char Bhotmari village in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat district said potato and pumpkin cultivation on the char lands require huge amounts of water supply. Farmers fail to irrigate their
lands for the shortage of water flow in the river. Supplying water by the shallow machine has become an extra burden to them increasing the production cost.
Farmer Milon Mia of Majer Char from bidyananda union under Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram district said he has 10 bighas of land on the bank of the river. But he can grow crops only on less than 5 bighas once a year. The rest remains either submerged or too dry for cultivation around the year.
Asadul Islam, a secondary school teacher of Char Iskon under Gongachara upazila of Rangpur district said, different types of crops including boro paddy are being cultivated in the cha lands at present. But the deficit of water flow in the river has been hampering agriculture.
Due to the insufficient water flow farmers have to set up water pumps on the river bed to irrigate their farmlands increasing the farming cost, he said.
“We have been getting only 1,200 to 1,500 cusecs of water at the Teesta barrage point since January this year, but the demand is at least 3,500 cusecs of water around the barrage point during this time of the year for irrigation and other activities,” said WDB Executive Engineer Dalia Asfa Uddoula.
The water flow even upstream of the barrage point is quite low, he said.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), due to the unavailability of water in the Teesta River, only 30 per cent of the char land of around 20,000 hectares in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Rangpur and Gaibandha can be irrigated and that too using diesel-run water pumps.
The rest of the 70 per cent of sandy land of around 50,000 hectares remains almost barren for most of the time of the year.
Rangpur DAE Additional Director Mohammad Shah Alam said agriculture has been badly affected in the Teesta River basin areas as the majority of the char lands remain barren due to a lack of underground water.
Farmers have to pay Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 to irrigate one bigha of land using diesel-run water pumps, he said.
Tuhin Wadud, a river researcher, Director of Riverine People, and Associate Professor, at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) said the unilateral withdrawal of water from upstream is leading the region to rapid desertification. A river is dead without water. Teesta will be a tale in future unless equal water sharing of the river with the neighbouring country is ensured.
Most of the aquatic lives in the river have declined, he added.
Shafiur Rahman, secretary, of Teesta Bachaw and Nodi Bachaw Sangram Parishad said, “ We have heard the West Bengal- India government plans to divert water flow from upstream developing canals in their territory for irrigation and agriculture works which will further worsen the desertification situation in the northern districts of the country.”
He feared that thousands of people would become jobless and face a food crisis if the Teesta could not be saved. The northern region is considered the surplus food production area and rice basket of Bangladesh as the region grows boro rice, the main food crop of the country.
Boro farmers face severe challenges due to both water shortages and excesses because of India’s arbitrary withdrawal and release of water in the Teesta,
Flash floods damage standing crops in the northern districts when India opens the Gajoldoba Barrage without any warning, causing flash floods
Scientific dredging and proper nurture are needed immediately to maintain the water flow and depth of the river. He also demanded the implementation of the Teesta Mega Project to enliven the river, people and biodiversity of the region.
