Dinajpur farmers reel from drought-like situation
Unusually high temperatures and a lack of rain have created drought-like conditions in Dinajpur and Rangpur.
With just a month left before the harvest season of Boro rice, farmers are now scrambling to ensure proper irrigation in their fields to save their crops.
However, this will likely increase their production costs and hurt their profits all thanks to the harsh weather.
According to the Met offices in Dinajpur and Rangpur, there has not been enough rainfall since November of last year. And, the average daytime temperature has been hovering above 35 degrees Celcius in the region for the last week.
As things stand, the additional irrigation necessary for optimal growth and production of rice is likely to raise the production cost by 20-25 percent, say farmers.
Meanwhile, groundwater levels have also plummeted in various areas.
Khademul Islam, a farmer from Sundarpur village under Dinajpur Sadar upazila, said that he has been facing difficulties in irrigating his land using his deep tube well for the last two weeks as the groundwater level in his area fell below 130 to 140 feet.
The situation was the same for other farmers in his village, he told The Daily Star over the phone on Thursday.
"The irrigation of a bigha is ideally supposed to take around two hours with a diesel-run water pump, but now it's taking four to five hours because of lower groundwater levels. This is costing us more than double for the extra hours of water pump operation."
He said that running the irrigation water pump for an hour requires one litre of diesel, which according to the government costs Tk 106.
Besides paddy and maize, Khademul cultivates different types of vegetables also.
Zahangir Hossain, another farmer from Panchbari village under Dinajpur Sadar upazila, said the groundwater level in his village also fell below the reach of his deep tube well.
As a result, he, along with other farmers, has not gotten enough water to irrigate their cropland in the village for the last couple of weeks.
"So, we are also having to operate the water pump for extra hours for the required irrigation," he said.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, around 170,000 hectares of land have been brought under Boro rice cultivation in this district this year.
Besides, 508,000 hectares have been brought under Boro cultivation in five districts of the Rangpur region, including Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha, and Lalmonirhat.
Meanwhile, Rabi crops are being cultivated on over 367,000 hectares in the region, said DAE officials in Rangpur.
According to reports from the Rangpur Met Office, the amount of rainfall in Rangpur has been alarmingly low since November of last year, with near-zero precipitation recorded in December, January, and February.
Although there was a slight reprieve with 98.2mm of rain in March, April has seen no rainfall so far, exacerbating the already critical situation.
Meteorological officials in Dinajpur and Rangpur report an abnormal weather pattern persisting for two years. This causes a risk of drought and poses a significant threat to crop cultivation and food security in Rangpur, Dinajpur, and Thakurgaon.
Currently, farmers are in the middle of the Boro season, but with no rain in sight in April, they are forced to rely solely on irrigation to save their crops. This unplanned and excessive use of irrigation equipment not only incurs additional costs for farmers but also depletes groundwater levels, leading to environmental degradation and further exacerbating the crisis.
Mostafizar Rahman, a meteorologist at the Rangpur office, notes that, so far, there has been no rain in April this year and while there was little rainfall between December and February, it was insufficient to alleviate the water scarcity.
Contacted, Obaidur Rahman Mondal, additional director at the DAE in Rangpur, said, that despite the heat wave, there has been no report of crop damage thus far. "But the production will likely take a hit if the drought-like conditions persist."
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