Matia blasts water board for negligence

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday blasted Water Development Board (WDB) for its negligence to water resources development which caused increased salinity and threatened vegetation in large coastal belt.

Around 10 lakh hectares of land in the coastal districts got salinity problems. Besides, because of filling up of the rivers, some coastal areas like Tala and Kolaroa in Satkhira got serious waterlogging problems, agriculturists said.

“You (WDB) have been working for decades, but never talked about dredging the rivers. You talk about polders [low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments] to get money. And you even cannot do it properly,” she said in reaction to a WDB official's preference for polders to check salinity intrusion and damage from tidal surges.

The minister made these comments at a seminar on 'Agriculture development approach to coastal areas of Bangladesh' organised by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at LGED auditorium in the city.

Referring to waterlogging at Tala, Matia said, “When people are dying at Tala, you, the WDB officials, are suggesting for polders. Polder is not the answer, rather dredging of the rivers can help address salinity and waterlogging.”

She said Water Resources Ministry and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation have big tasks to do in coming days and the government was trying to make more activated to boost the water resources and farm sectors.

Matia urged both the development partners to assist in river dredging, and the agriculture research institutions to strengthen cooperation among each other for development of agriculture technologies and crop varieties to tackle salinity, drought, cold and submergence.

IRRI scientists TP Tuong and Dr Ismail Abdelbagi and Additional Secretary to the ministry Anwar Faruque also spoke.