BAPA wants implementation of North Rajshahi Irrigation Project

Leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon on Monday called for immediate implementation of the proposed surface water-based North Rajshahi Irrigation Project to protect the region from desertification.

They made the call from a human chain held at Zero Point in Rajshahi city at 11:00am, marking International Day of Action for Rivers, with the slogan ‘save the Padma River, save Rajshahi’.

The rivers and canals, including the Padma, in the regions are nearly dead, affecting the environment and livelihood of people, speakers said, addressing the human chain, formed by around fifty activists.

‘As almost all rivers and canals, including the River Padma, are nearly dead, the agriculture system in the Rajshahi region is now almost entirely dependent on groundwater. As a result, the groundwater level is constantly dropping over the years’, said the BAPA’s Rajshahi unit president Jamaat Khan.

He said that the survey of the government agencies revealed that the whole northern region was devoid of groundwater.

‘But our demand has not seen the face of light due to bureaucratic complications’, he alleged.

Jamaat Khan said that roads and buildings alone did not mean development as water was a prerequisite for development.

‘But there is no water in the Padma. The Farakka agreement will expire four years later. Before that, a new agreement has to be made to ensure a fair share of water. We have to ensure the flow of water in the Padma. The North Rajshahi Irrigation Project has to be implemented. Otherwise, the agricultural system would be ruined’, he added.

BAPA adviser and freedom fighter Abdul Mannan alleged that the Rajshahi region was always neglected by the government.

‘We want a balanced development. There is still enough time. Save this region by implementing the North Rajshahi Irrigation Project’, he said.

Debasish Pramanik, general secretary of the Rajshahi city unit of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, said that they were demanding the government to stop the use of groundwater for cultivation to protect the region from desertification.

‘However, the authorities concerned are yet to pay any heed to our demand. Unless the government takes effective steps to implement the North Rajshahi Irrigation Project, the whole northern region will turn into a desert in near future’, he said.

The speakers also urged the authorities concerned to take effective steps to dredge the Padma to increase its navigability, evict public and private structures illegally built on the banks of the river, stop unplanned sand extraction, stop widespread dumping garbage in the river, and stop filling of ponds and cutting down trees in Rajshahi to protect the environment.

They also threatened for a tougher movement if their demands were not met soon.

Among others, freedom fighters Abul Basar and Altaf Hossain, senior lawyer Entazul Haque Babu, the BAPA’s Rajshahi unit vice-president SM Sazu, youth organiser Golam Nabi Rony, women leader Selina Hossain and Sufia Begum spoke at the human chain.

News Courtesy: 

https://www.newagebd.net/article/165397/bapa-wants-implementation-of-north-rajshahi-irrigation-project