Supporting farmers in the north-east
Flash flood of the north-east was the prime news published in The Daily Star on 14 March 2017. Front-page news titled 'Havoc in haor' revealed a complete destruction of paddies in over one lakh hectares of land located in some wetland areas of Bangladesh. Corruption added to the miseries of farmers and there was corruption allegation against the affiliates of Water Development Board in reconstructing and repairing the dams. According to an earlier news published in The Daily Star (13 April 2017), contractors who got the job of building embankments from Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) did not complete their work in due time and, in most cases, they were involved in corruption. Flash flood could have been prevented or better managed, if the dams intended to protect farm land from flood was constructed in scheduled time.
“The State shall adopt effective measures to bring about a radical transformation in the rural areas through the promotion of an agricultural revolution, the provision of rural electrification, the development of cottage and other industries, and the improvement of education, communications and public health, in those areas, so as progressively to remove the disparity in the standards of living between the urban and the rural areas”- said in Article 16 of the Constitution of Bangladesh. There was a call from a roundtable organised by Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Water Rights Forum in Dhaka urging government to declare the areas surrounding haors (a type of wetland) in the north-east as “affected areas”.
Apart from terrorism, corruption would remain as one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and there were allegation of corruption in reconstructing and repairing the dams over the years. There are two specific targets of SDG No. 16 regarding curbing corruption and developing institutions: (a) substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms; and (b) develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
However, farmers in the north-east are not only worried about food security, but continuing education of their children. Rights activist Advocate Sultana Kamal lamented in the roundtable that farmers are being harassed for defaulting loans while defaulters who steal crores from banks are being established in the society.
To recapitulate, farmers have become increasingly vulnerable due to climatic shocks and hazards. Farmers affected by the recent flood must be supported so that they can feed family members and continue education for their children. At the same time, corruption allegation during dam construction and repair work must be investigated.
Will perpetrators responsible for miseries of the farmers be brought to book soon?
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