Dinajpur: The suffering of local farmers has reduced after the repair of Mohanpur Rubber Dam on Atrai River in Sadar upazila and Saitara Rubber Dam on Kankara River in Chirirbandar upazila of the district. After the repair of the dams, water has started rising at two points. Water is now flowing in the 44-kilometer area of Atrai and Kankara rivers. Farmers are able to irrigate their boro cultivation lands without any problems using the river water.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md. Nuruzzaman Mia stated that two rubber dams were constructed to facilitate irrigation in several thousand hectares of land in Dinajpur Sadar and Chirirbandar upazilas. In 2001, a dam was first built in the Saitara area of the Kankara river in Chirirbandar upazila. Later, in 2014, another rubber dam was built on the Atrai river in the Mohanpur area of Sadar upazila. He mentioned that recently the Mohanpur rubber dam could not hold water due to a hole. Additionally, the excavation work of the Kankara River was incomplete, leaving no water in the river, rendering the dams useless.
Farmers resorted to using deep tube wells for irrigation, which increased their costs more than double, intensifying their financial burden. Dinajpur LGED Executive Engineer Md. Masuder Rahman reported that a 135-meter-long rubber dam with a capacity to store water in an area of 44 kilometers was built on the Atrai River in Dinajpur Sadar upazila at a cost of Taka 17.51 crore. The Saitara rubber dam, measuring 130 feet, was constructed on the Kankara River at a cost of Taka 8.40 crore.
During the current Boro season, local farmers along the Atrai and Kankara rivers and near the Mohanpur and Saitara rubber dam areas faced irrigation water shortages. Farmers reported recurring issues with the Mohanpur rubber dam during the Boro season and noted that incomplete excavation work on the Kankara river led to water flowing towards the Atrai river, depriving farmers on the Kankara riverbanks of water.
The issue gained attention after media coverage, prompting the authorities to prioritize repairs. The LGED department began repairs on the two rubber dams, completing them on schedule. The filling of the dams to retain water started on March 13, and farmers have been able to access irrigation water since 12 noon on Saturday.
Two agricultural officials from Chirirbandar and Sadar upazilas highlighted that 2,500 to 3,000 hectares of land benefit from the irrigation facilities of the rubber dams. Farmers can access water from the Mohanpur and Kankara rivers at a low cost through shallow machines or BADC LLP irrigation machines. There are 53 LLP pumps, 14 shallow machines, and 21 electric motors available for lifting water along both riverbanks.
Assistant Engineer Fauzul Kabir, overseeing the rubber dams for Dinajpur LGED, emphasized the importance of the dams. He noted that two bags of the dam had holes, which have been initially repaired and filled with water from the Mohanpur rubber dam, and expressed confidence that irrigation water problems will be resolved. A proposal for new bags has been submitted as a long-term solution.