Delayed canal project leaves 3,000 farmers in dire straits

Every night as he goes to sleep, farmer Ohidar Rahman, 65, dreams of his Boro paddy fields take a golden hue with water from Teesta river provided for irrigation through Gopinathpur canal.

For more than 3,000 farmers from Gopinathpur area under Rangpur's Badarganj upazila, the dream is also the same, as the canal has long been left dry, leaving vast stretches of croplands in the area without irrigation.

Under the "Teesta Irrigation Command Area Rehabilitation and Expansion Project," the Bangladesh Water Development Board began a 3.5-kilometre canal rehabilitation initiative in Gopinathpur on January 16, 2023. An allocation of Tk 8,26,75,000 was sanctioned for the project designed to irrigate 1,500 hectares of cropland, aiming to reduce costs and increase production for over 3,000 farmers. The project deadline was initially set for December 30, 2024.

However, the work has been progressing at a snail's pace, and well past its deadline, leaving the farmers' hopes hanging and their fields dry.

"The canal project was supposed to be completed by last December. We thought we'd get irrigation water from January. But even half the project work isn't done yet. Who knows how much longer we'd have to wait," said Ohidar Rahman.

"With Teesta water, I could grow crops twice a year. Now most of my 12 bighas of land remains fallow," said farmer Moza Ali, 60.

"We pushed for this canal for years. The government approved it, and work began — but it is continuing at such a slow pace, we doubt we'll see any benefit soon," he added.

Another farmer, Azizul Islam, 64, echoed them, expressing frustration at the endless wait.

Contacted, Sirajul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangpur, acknowledged the project's importance to local agriculture.

"If completed, this canal will enable low-cost, high-yield cultivation across the region. We've repeatedly urged the BWDB to expedite the work," he said.

Rasel Mahmud, sub-assistant engineer of BWDB in Rangpur, however, informed that the work is currently halted.

"Earth-filling and bank construction are complete, and 60 percent of the RCC lining is done. The rest of the work is now halted due to monsoon, and will resume once the rains subside," he said.

Contacted, Rabiul Islam, BWDB executive engineer in Rangpur, said the contractor has requested a deadline extension.

"We're discussing extending the deadline to December this year. We're also pushing the contractor to expediate the work. If all goes well, farmers should be able to use the canal's water from early next year," he said.