UPs take steps for enriching surface water in Barind

RAJSHAHI: Many of the Union Parishad (UP) like Local Government Institutions (LGIs) accompanied by their communities have adopted time-fitting measures for enriching surface water resources in the drought-prone barind area, reports BSS.
The venture has started benefitting the communities in terms of irrigating farmlands through using the conserved surface water instead of depending on groundwater.
Some 132 families are dependent on a 15-bigha pond in Aradighi village under Tanore Upazila in the district for long. They use the pond for all of their household purposes like bathing and washing clothes.
They also get fish farming income equally. In many times, instead of taking income from the pond they spend the money for overall welfare of the village like road renovation.
In order to address their water related problems, the villagers formed Aradighi Water Resource Management Committee and re-excavated the pond on an emergency basis in association with Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project boosting the pond productivity.
Of the total cost of Tk 38 lakh, villagers and UP spent 20 percent and 10 percent respectively while the rest 70 percent on behalf the IWRM project. DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross is implementing the IWRM project in drought affected 35 UPs and four pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015 with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant Project Coordinator.
Talanda UP Chairman Abul Kasem said re-excavation of the pond by villagers is exceptional. UP cannot fulfill demands of people in spite of its will due to its small revenue collection. The village committee also formed a fund worth Taka 7.60 lakh through community mobilization which is not a matter of joke.
Lutfor Haider Rashid Moina, chairman of Kolma UP under the same upazila, said he has re-excavated derelict canals for rainwater conservation with financial and technical support from IWRM project. He re-excavated 2.5-kilometer canal on eastern side of Chorkhoir and Bauri villages into 10 feet depth.
He also constructed two concrete check-dams in the canal and a big size water reservoir in the downstream of Chorkhoir portion so that the rainwater is conserved during monsoon for providing irrigation to the nearby cropping fields.
Chairman Moina said farmers of the area had been demanding for re-excavating the canal for long.

UPs take steps for enriching surface water in Barind

RAJSHAHI: Many of the Union Parishad (UP) like Local Government Institutions (LGIs) accompanied by their communities have adopted time-fitting measures for enriching surface water resources in the drought-prone barind area, reports BSS. The venture has started benefitting the communities in terms of irrigating farmlands through using the conserved surface water instead of depending on groundwater. Some 132 families are dependent on a 15-bigha pond in Aradighi village under Tanore Upazila in the district for long. They use the pond for all of their household purposes like bathing and washing clothes. They also get fish farming income equally. In many times, instead of taking income from the pond they spend the money for overall welfare of the village like road renovation. In order to address their water related problems, the villagers formed Aradighi Water Resource Management Committee and re-excavated the pond on an emergency basis in association with Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project boosting the pond productivity. Of the total cost of Tk 38 lakh, villagers and UP spent 20 percent and 10 percent respectively while the rest 70 percent on behalf the IWRM project. DASCOH Foundation and Swiss Red Cross is implementing the IWRM project in drought affected 35 UPs and four pourasavas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015 with financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant Project Coordinator. Talanda UP Chairman Abul Kasem said re-excavation of the pond by villagers is exceptional. UP cannot fulfill demands of people in spite of its will due to its small revenue collection. The village committee also formed a fund worth Taka 7.60 lakh through community mobilization which is not a matter of joke. Lutfor Haider Rashid Moina, chairman of Kolma UP under the same upazila, said he has re-excavated derelict canals for rainwater conservation with financial and technical support from IWRM project. He re-excavated 2.5-kilometer canal on eastern side of Chorkhoir and Bauri villages into 10 feet depth. He also constructed two concrete check-dams in the canal and a big size water reservoir in the downstream of Chorkhoir portion so that the rainwater is conserved during monsoon for providing irrigation to the nearby cropping fields. Chairman Moina said farmers of the area had been demanding for re-excavating the canal for long.