GK Project starts water supply to 5 districts
Authorities of GK Project conducted repair work of the 'intake channel' on the Padma River in Bheramara upazila of Kushtia district last month as preparation to start supply of irrigation water to vast croplands in five south-western districts. Photo: STAR
The Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project, commonly known as GK Project, has started its yearly supply of irrigation water for Irri-Boro cultivation in Kushtia, Faridpur, Jhenidah, Magura and Chuadanga districts.
Shah Alam, chief of Water Resource Wing of the Planning Commission, inaugurated the seasonal supply activity on April 1.
The project linking Padma and Gorai rivers covers 1.16 lakh hectares of land in the five south-western districts with a target to produce 3.89 lakh tonnes of paddy in the current season, sources said, adding that the project authorities in last month repaired its main intake channel and dredged its drains at a cost of Tk 5 crore.
The GK Project, a large surface irrigation system aimed at covering 4.88 lakh hectares of land in five south-western districts, became operational in 1961 but it could never cover the target area due to lack of sufficient water.
The objectives were to increase food production, improve cropping patterns, increase cropping intensity, HYV aush and HYV aman in Kharif-I (March to June) and Kharif-II (mid-July to November) and improving the overall drainage system in the area with the help of 971-kilometre-long drainage canals.
Besides, 228-km long inspection roads, 39 km embankment, numerous bridges and culverts have been constructed under the project to save the area from flooding.
Fifteen pumps with a total lifting capacity of 153 cusec are used to draw water from the river Padma through an Intake Channel for supplying to the fields by gravity.
But drawing water from the Ganges becomes difficult in the dry season as water levels go much below the level for which the pumps were designed.
Besides, up to 1.86 lakh cubic metres of silt is to be dredged annually from 850-metre stretch of canal near the Hardinge Bridge.
Earlier on several occasions, the project failed to ensure smooth water supply due to fall in the water level of the Padma.
The GK project had totally failed to supply water during 1992-1996 due to low flow in the Padma. The project became operational again after signing of a water sharing treaty with India in 1996.
But the quantity of water often sees decline due to withdrawal of Ganges water at Farakka in the upstream, said a high official of Water Development Board in Kushtia.
Bangladesh was supposed to get 43,996 cusec of water during March 1-10 and 41,251 cusec during March 11-20 at Farakka but got only 28,000 and 27,798 cusec of water respectively, sources said.
Uninterrupted water supply to the GK Project area depends on flow in the Padma and discharge of water at Farakka in the upstream, said officials of GK project.
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