When sluice gates don’t work
As many as eight sluice gates out of 23 have remained completely out of order in Khulna's Koyra upazila for a long time, concerning the farmers about irrigation during the ongoing Aman season.
Moreover, the remaining 13 sluicegates are about to be dysfunctional, said locals.
Amid such a situation, freshwater is receding through the hole of the water control gates while salt water is intruding into the farmland, hampering irrigation in the upazila.
So local farmers are fearing a huge loss if the sluice gates are not made operational immediately.
Sluice gates are one of the most common hydraulic structures in controlling flow rate and water level in open channels such as rivers and canals.
Several rivers -- including the Kapotakkho, Shakbaria and Koyra -- are flowing through the upazila surrounded by embankments of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWBD).
Sadhon Sarkar, a farmer from Gatirghari of Koyra, said they saw less rain this monsoon.
"Generally, rainwater reduces the salinity of soil. However, it did not happen this year," he said. "And when it rained, the water couldn't be stored because of dysfunctional sluicegates. If such situations prevail, most farmlands will become barren," he added.
The upazila has a total of 121km of embankments where 23 sluicegates were constructed to control water levels and flow rates in rivers and canals. They were also used as wastewater treatment plants.
According to WDB, the eight damaged sluice gates are in Kashiabad Forest Station, Nayani, Kushodanga, Kathmarchar, Oratala, Padmapukur, Binapani and Hajatkhali areas.
The rest in Naksha, Masjid Kur, Amadi, Khoralkathi, Shalukkhali, Hogla, Lalua, Narayanpur, Gobindpur, Sutia Bazar, Gariyabari, Jorshing and Koyra-2 areas have become vulnerable.
Koyra upazila chairman SM Shofiqul Islam said most of the sluice gates installed in the 1990s are yet to be repaired.
"Eight have completely become dysfunctional due to a lack of maintenance. Besides, cyclone Amphan damaged the Hajatkhali sluice gate," he said.
"Even four years after the collapse, the Oratala sluicegate near Guchchhogram is yet to be repaired. Aman production is being hampered as a result," he added.
Chapal Kumar, a farmer from Gariyabari area, said, "We are facing a lack of irrigation water during this peak season of Aman cultivation due to less rain and damaged sluice gates."
This correspondent recently visited at least 12 villages -- including Nayani, Kushodanga, Kathmarchar, Oratala, Padmapukur, Binapani, Hajatkhali Shalukkhali, Hogla, Lalua -- where almost all sluicegates were found inoperative.
Mud and silt blocked the entrances of those sluicegates, of which iron parts were rusting.
Md Asaduzzaman, agriculture officer of Koyra upazila, said around 14,720 hectares of land have been used for Aman cultivation this year. Farmers do not get required facilities from these sluice gates, he said.
"They need to be renovated urgently," he added.
Mashiul Abedin, assistant engineer of BWDB in Koyra, said a list of dysfunctional sluice gates have already been sent to the headquarters for reconstruction. "The project will start after getting approval and allocation," he added.
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