Irri-Boro cultivation: GK project back to full-fledged water supply after 11 days’ stoppage
The Ganges-Kobadak (GK) Irrigation Project has been able to resume full-fledged supply of irrigation water for Irri-Boro cultivation in four south-western districts of the country from yesterday, following 11 days of stoppage of water supply.
According to GK project officials, two main pumps and 12 supplementary pumps of the project had been shut down on March 26 as the water level fell to 4.5-metre RL (Reduced Level) in the intake channel.
A reduced level is the vertical distance between a survey point and the surface to which elevations are referred.
A total 14.5 m RL water is being supplied to the discharge channel since yesterday evening as Bangladesh is now getting a guaranteed 35,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water in the Padma river.
Mizanur Rahman, executive engineer of GK's pump house, confirmed it saying that this is the highest supply.
"If water is available at this level (14.5 m RL), the farmers will get water from the main canal to branches, drains, sub-drains. There are about 1,655 km of different types of canals and ditches under the [GK] project," he said.
The project is totally dependent on Padma's water and this water is brought from the river to the pump house of the project by a two-kilometre intake channel.
Officials of the GK project said if the water level in the Padma comes down, there is a threat to the water supply for the GK. In order to keep the water supply uninterrupted, the intake channel of GK should always have a water level of 14.5 m RL for full irrigation. At the same time, the flow of water in the Padma should be at least 34 thousand cusecs.
About 1,97,500 hectares of land in Kushtia, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah and Magura districts are irrigated in two seasons under the project.
The government has to spend around Tk 30 crore every year to keep the GK intake channel waterlogged, the officials said.
According to GK officials, two main pumps and 12 supplementary pumps were shut down on March 26 as the water level fell to 4.5-meter RL in the intake channel.
They said the water flow in the Padma at that time was only 23,000 cusecs as India withdrew water from the Ganges.
GK officials said the Ganges water has to be shared between India and Bangladesh every dry season based on the water sharing treaty of 1996.
According to the historic water sharing agreement, water flow in Farakka is to be distributed between Bangladesh and India on a 10-day basis during the dry season from January 1 to May 31 each year.
According to the agreement, Bangladesh and India will get 50 percent water each if the flow of water in Farakka is 70,000 cusecs or less in the first 10 days.
In the second 10 days, if there is a flow of 70,000 cusecs to 75,000 cusecs at Farakka Point, Bangladesh will be guaranteed 35,000 cusecs of water and India will get the rest.
If 75,000 cusecs or more of water flows at Farakka Point for the third 10 days, India will get 40,000 cusecs of water and Bangladesh will get the rest.
According to the website of the Joint Rivers Commission of Bangladesh, from January 1 to March 20, the water flow in Farakka was 59,522 cusecs while it was 36,393 cusecs in Hardinge Bridge Point in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is now getting guaranteed 35,000 cusecs (1 cubic foot per second) of water, said a press release issued by the Joint River Commission yesterday.
Bangladesh will get 35,000 cusecs of water from April 1 to April 10, said the release signed by Commission member Mahmudur Rahman.
India has similarly taken 35,000 cusec water from March 20 to 31 while the availability of Bangladesh at that time was only 23,544 cusecs.
Jahedul Islam, executive engineer of hydrology department at the Water Development Board (WDB) said water was found 35,946 cusecs at Hardinge Bridge point on April 5.
Water experts said the water problem in Ganges basin was more this year due to unavailability of rain. It hasn't rained yet this season. As a result, the main flow of water in the Ganges is very weak. Both India and Bangladesh are facing troubles in sharing water.
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