The New Nation - Internet Edition

BDNEWS, Brahmanbaria

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has undertaken a special project to protect a vast expanse of cultivable land in Sadekpur union under Sadar upazila.

The project involving Tk 44 lakh will save the agriculture field from flash flood and bring more land under irrigation.

Sources said under this small irrigation project a five-kilometer long embankment and two sluice gates will be constructed. The height of the embankment, which goes under water in rainy season, will be three feet. The sluice gates will remove access water of the canal.

Though this project has created wide response from farmers, but a section of farmer are oppose to this embankment. They think this project will be of no use for them. In protest overwhelming farmers last Sunday laid seige to the residence of local parliament member Advocate Haurn-ur-Rashid.

The farmers were later pacified after they were told of the benefits of this project. On this issue executive engineer of Brhamanbaria LGED Ataur Rahman Khan said a vested quarter is trying to create resentment among farmers through false propaganda about this project.

Some local farmers said flash flood causes colossal loss to farmers every year. Again crops cannot be grown on 400 hectares of land for want of irrigation. If this project is implemented irrigation will be possible on 250 hectares of land at low cost.

Along with the IRRI cultivation, vegetables can also be grown there and on the other hand 200 hectares of land could be free from flash flood. About 15,000 farmers will be benefited from this project and it will be able to yield additional 1500 metric tons of rice.