Canal or fish gher?

Farming on around 400 acres of land is greatly hampered as an influential family has started fish cultivation in the Mongolbaria canal in Rangabali upazila, stopping natural flow of water.

The family had begun fish cultivation about eight years ago, turning the canal into a fish enclosure locally called gher at Borobaishdia union. It is an important resource for farmers as well as the villagers. Around 400 families rely on its water for agricultural and domestic use.

Mongolbaria canal plays a vital role in agricultural activities as it is the only natural source of water in the area. The canal had six branches that carried irrigation water from nearby rivers. The farmers in the locality were very happy as they could irrigate their fields every year.

About eight years ago, Hasan Talukder, Hussen Talukder and Masum Talukder closed all six branch canals, constructing cross dams at different points on the canal to cultivate fish. The cross dams stopped natural flow of water, depriving farmers of water for irrigating their Aus and Aman paddy and other crops.

Thirty-eight farmers submitted a complaint to the deputy commissioner (DC) on February 6 this year, requesting him to take steps to free the canal.

Later, Chan Mia, union assistant land officer, submitted a report to the DC through the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) on February 27, recommending that steps be taken to remove the fish enclosures to pave the way for creating natural flow of water.

The DC asked the UNO to take action in this regard.

The woes of the local community regarding the canal began 15 years ago when Bangladesh Water Development Board blocked both entrances to the canal with flood control embankment, which starved the canal of water during the dry season and resulted in flooding in the area during the monsoon. Water flow returned to normal after a sluice gate was built to connect the canal with the Tulatali canal.

After instruction from the DC, the then UNO ABM Sadiqur Rahman sent a letter to Borobaishdia UP chairman asking him to take steps in this regard but the chairman ignored it.

Sadiqur sent another letter to the UP chairman on April 19, asking him to free the canal within seven days, but in vain.

“Cultivation on over 400 acres of land depends on the canal water,” says local farmer Jahangir Talukder. “For the last eight years we have not been able to grow Aus or Aman paddy, even rear goats or cows, for lack of access to water.”

Hasan Talukder said, “I took lease of the canal for a year from the Youth Development Department in 2008 and since then I have been cultivating fish in the canal.”

“I did not apply to renew the lease because the authorities concerned stopped giving lease from 2009,” he said.

Rangabali acting UNO Md Rezaul Karim said steps would be taken to free the canal from occupiers considering the interest of the local farmers.