1,000 farmers affected for water stagnation in Singa Beel

GOPALGANJ, Feb 23: More than 1,000 farmers in Kashiani Upazila of the district are unable to cultivate IRRI-Boro paddy because of water-logging in the Singa Beel.
 Boro cultivation is being hampered in around 1,000 acres of land in the upazila.
The farmers in the locality have sought interference from the authorities concerned to resolve the stagnation problem.
Singa Village is in low-lying area mainly. During the rainy season, most land of the beel remains water-logged.
As a result, farmers have to remain depended on the IRRI-Boro cultivation.
But water-logging is created in the beel in the absence of a canal.
There is no water extraction system to pass the beel water; so much water remains stagnant in the beel; and at least, 1,000 acre land remains uncultivated every year.
In the Boro season, Boro saplings cannot be planted in about 1,000 acres in Bhanga Damdam, Singa, Jagat Patti, and in Jadupur mouja. Farmers can plant saplings in some portions of their land, and others remain unplanted.
In Singa Village, farmer Baidyanath Biswas, Bibek Sarkar, and Kalipada Biswas said, "We get affected not only at the time of planting, but also at the time of paddy harvesting when our fields get submerged by flood."
They said, they have applied to the Water Development Board (WDB) and the Department of Agriculture Extension to address the water-logging problem.
"We will be happy if our land waters are extracted only," they added.
It will facilitate us to cultivate crops in the submerged lands, they maintained. Deputy Director of the DAE in Gopalganj Dr. Arbind Kumar Ray said, mainly Gopalganj District is in the low-lying zone.
"I will talk with the authority concerned regarding solving the farmers' problem by excavating the canal," he gave assurance.
Executive Engineer of the WDB Md Faizur Rahman said, "We will try to solve the issue."