Although a surrounded by rivers and criss-crossed by canals, two-thirds of two lakh 22 thousand hectares of cultivable land fertile lands in seven upazilas of the district remain fallow half the year only due to lack of irrigation.

An additional ten lakh tonnes of food grains could be produced if irrigation could be provided, Mrinal Kanti Dev, Deputy Director (DD) of DAE (Department of Agriculture Extension) said while talking to this correspondent recently.

Aman, the main rice crop is harvested in December- January. After that lands remain fallow till the next sowing with the advent of wet season in July-August. During the interim dry season, a small percentage of farmers grow less value-added crops like pulses and vegetables which do not need irrigation.

The lone irrigation project in the Sadar upazila, built with the assistance from World Bank, was closed four years ago as the project tenure expired.

On the other hand, most of the 630 sluice gates built by the Water Development Board (WDB) to provide irrigation from canals in the seven upazilas are illegally occupied by local influentials for pisciculture. Farmers do not benefit from those for growing rice or other cash crops, DAE officials in different areas said.

The WDB had constructed 981 km embankments and set up the sluice gates to check flooding during wet season and high tide and to provide irrigation facilities in dry season.

This correspondent during a survey found most of the sluice gates in the Sadar, Galachipa, Kalapara, Dishmina, Bouphal, Dumki, and Miryagonj upazilas illegally controlled by local in fluentials for fish cultivation.

Abdul Mannan, 45, a farmer in Aliapur village in the Sadar upazila said cropping in his village depends on rain or tidal water as the irrigation canals and sluice gates are controlled by local influentials. "The canals and sluice gates are under their possession for fish farming. Even fishermen have to pay them for fishing in the government waterbodies", he alleged.

In the Boalia canal in Galachipa, all the 16 sluice gates were seen closed. Farmers can not use the canal water for irrigation as those are occupied by local influentials, one Habib Fakir alleged.

When contracted, WDB officials said they did not get any complaint. They said they will investigate and take action against illegal occupation of canals and sluice gates.

DAE officials said they have nothing to do to free the canals and sluice gates from local influerntials. They however said they are trying to ogranise farmers to go for small irrigation projects.