Nearly 5,000 ponds dug on agricultural land in 7 years

Staff Reporter:

Cropland is decreasing at an alarming rate in greater Chalan Beel area under Tarash upazila of Sirajganj district as farmers have been digging pond on their agricultural land for fish farming to earn more profit.

According to local residents, farmers and the Department of Agricultural Extension, influential people have dug about 5,000 ponds in the last 7 years. Previously, there were 3,100. Now, this number has increased to 5,280. As the fish farming is profitable, illegal ponds are being dug in arable lands mostly three-crop yielding ones that hampering paddy cultivation.

Sources said, such pond digging is causing waterlogging everywhere. Due to the creation of waterlogging, farmers are not able to cultivate on time. As a result, about 50,000 hectares of arable land have been reduced in the last 7 years. Marginal farmers are afraid of food shortage due to this. Even though such activities are going on under the nose of the administration, but no one pays heed in this regard. Civil society members urged the authorities concerned to take immediate action in this regard.

Farmer Firoz Hossain said that, earlier they used to have three crops a year in this area. Now they are not able to harvest even one crop properly. Because if the crop is a little late, water comes and drowns it due to waterlogging. Due to this waterlogging, thousands of bighas of land are submerged in water, making it impossible to harvest the crops. Those who have more land are digging ponds lessing land. Now they want to cultivate but are not able to prepare the land. Even if they inform the administration, it is stopped immediately, but it is not stopped permanently.

Another farmer named Abdul Jalil said that, his land is next to another person’s pond. His land is small, so he is in extreme danger. Now his land has gone under knee deep water. It takes 8-10 more labourers to remove the water with pump.

Farmers Shafi Islam, Golam Mostafa and Safar Ali said that, if digging of ponds is continued, there will be a food shortage in the country. They are not able to cultivate properly due to the waterlogging caused by pond digging. And if there is no cultivation, there will be severe food shortage. Currently, a lot of ponds are being dug in three crop lands. When the administration is informed about this, they come and take away the battery of the excavator. Although it is closed for 2-1 days, it is not closed permanently. If it is not closed, the three crop lands will suffer a lot more damage. Therefore, the administration needs to stop digging ponds permanently.

Upazila Additional Fisheries Officer Md. Shariful Islam said, Tarash is a very rich upazila in fish farming. Farmers here are making a lot of profit by cultivating fish. Seven years ago, the number of ponds was 3,100. Currently, this number has increased to 5,280. Fish farming is going well because fish farming is quite profitable. About 34,000 metric tons of fish meet the local demand and rest fish goes out including Dhaka.

But keeping in mind the environment and sustainable development, the official urged farmers to refrain from digging ponds in three-crop lands.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Alimia Jannat said that, “The amount of arable land is decreasing every year. The challenge for the Agriculture Department is now how to grow more crops in less arable land. Every year, the amount of this arable land is decreasing due to the construction of roads, ghats, houses, various establishments, brick kilns and ponds.”