Rangpur:Successful implementation of a surface water project has enabled farmers in the Rangpur region to increase the production of Aman paddy significantly.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) completed a five-year irrigation expansion project in 2025, costing Taka 288 crore. The project aimed to optimize the use of surface water and conserve rainwater to facilitate irrigation.
BMDA officials reported that the project has allowed over 33,000 farmers to produce an additional 1.40 lakh tonnes of paddy annually by utilizing conserved surface water. Outgoing BMDA Superintending Engineer Habibur Rahman Khan noted that the project has brought a revolutionary change to the region's agricultural sector.
The project involved the re-excavation of 230 kilometers of 35 dried canals, 10 beels, and 88 ponds. It also included the installation of 30 solar-powered and 183 electric-powered low-lift pumps, 50 solar-powered dug wells, 16 foot-over bridges, and nine cross dams. Consequently, approximately 13,405 hectares of land have been equipped with irrigation and supplementary irrigation facilities using conserved surface water.
Additionally, the project has alleviated partial water logging on another 1,000 hectares of land, further boosting paddy production. The installation of 1,122 meters of underground PVC pipes under the project has freed 1,250 hectares of lands in the Izlamari Char Beel, Miyar Char Beel, and Sabuzpara Beel areas from water logging. Local farmers now cultivate three crops on these lands, yielding 10,000 tonnes of additional Aman paddy.
Overall, the project has facilitated the irrigation of a total of 15,655 hectares of land.