IRRI-Boro on 3.81 lakh acres to be affected in 3 districts

A man walks past the Teesta Irrigation Project barrage through the river's dried up bed (Left) and at another place nearby, IRRI cultivated on the bed along the narrow channel. The photos were taken on Sunday.. PHOTO: STAR

The river is now a narrow channel, allowing flow of only 700 Cusec water through the project against the requirement 15,000 Cusec needed for irrigating lands under the project's command area, according to Water Development Board (WDB) sources.

The 1100 crore taka project covers about one lakh 20,000 acres of land in Nilphamari district, one lakh 50,000 acres in Dinajpur and over 70,000 acres in Rangpur.

Ten small rivers in the region have already dried up and their beds are tobacco fields. Tobacco does not need any irrigation.

Sub-divisional Engineer of Teesta Irrigation Project Rezaul Mustafa said told this correspondent, "We need 15,000 Cusec water now but we are getting only 700 Causec.

He said, a few years ago, Bangladesh and India reached a temporary agreement to share the Teesta waters. As per the agreement, India will utilise 40 per cent of Teesta water and Bangladesh 35 per cent. The rest 25 per cent will be left as normal flow.

But this is ignored by India. They are withdrawing almost the whole of the Teesta flow through the Gozaldoba barrage, 80 kilometres upstream from Teesta barrage point.

In the backdrop of such a situation, Bangladesh is going on to start work of the second phase of the Teesta project in June next, he said.

The ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) has allocated Tk. 1,167 for the second phase of the project. It is designed to cover another 4,48,774 hectares of land in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Joypurhat and Bogra districts.