Teesta water falls again

Water flow in the Teesta came down to 1,186 cusecs yesterday, two days after a dramatic rise in the volume of waters in the river.
The water flow at the barrage point in Lalmonirhat rose to 3,006 cusecs on Tuesday afternoon. However, it decreased to 1,243 cusecs the next day.
On average, only 416-650 cusecs of water available in the trans-boundary river in February and March has caused serious problems for Boro farmers of the drought-hit northern districts.
The underground water level has also gone down due to a drastic fall in the water flow in the Teesta. Mainuddin Mandal, sub-divisional engineer of Water Development Board at Daliya, said underground water level in the river was 18-20 feet deep this year and the situation had continued for the last three years. The level was within eight to 10 feet in 2000 to 2005, he added.
“If the present situation continued, the underground water level in the river will fall sharply in near future,” he added.
Sabuj Khandaker, coordinator of Teesta Putro, a local movement to save the river, said the underground water level in the river had gone down to 20-30 feet.
“The level has gone down to 20 feet on the main riverbed and 30 feet in the adjoining villages,” he added.
Nazir Ali, 58, a farmer at Goddimari village of Hatibandha upazila, said, “I hit the water after setting up a tube-well with 25-foot pipe underground on the bank of the river on April 2 this year. In 2012, I got water using 20-foot pipe on the same spot.
“I used to get surface water for irrigation from the river till 2006. We have been facing water crisis after the Teesta Irrigation Project was launched the same year,” he added.
Tube-well maker Keramot Ali, 50, at Mahipur char village said he was hired to set up at least 50 tube-wells at different shoal villages in last two months.
“I reached water 18 to 23 feet deep on the riverbed. Water was found at 23 to 28 feet deep at the river basin villages,” he said, adding, the underground water level was falling sharply this year.