Unplanned expansion of groundwater irrigation created arsenicosis: Matia
Dhaka, August 5 (UNB) – Indiscriminate and unplanned expansion of groundwater irrigation gave a boost to agricultural production, but at the cost of creating health hazards like arsenicosis, said Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury on Sunday.
Referring to a meeting between the Agriculture Ministry and Asian Development Bank officials, she said, “ADB representatives thanked us for the expansion of irrigated areas, which they have been promoting for long, but I thanked them for the gift of arsenicosis, caused by the irrigation expansion through the installation of shallow and deep tubewells.”
She was addressing a workshop on Guti Urea Applicator, organised by International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC) and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at the BARC Auditorium.
Matia said that although the groundwater extraction for agricultural production boosted the production, the indiscriminate installation of shallow and deep tubewells (DTW and STW) has created health hazards for people.
One of the major reasons behind the spread of arsenicosis is the violation of the command areas while installing the tubewells, she pointed out.
The restriction of the specific command areas for STWs and DTWs was not obeyed and those devices were installed indiscriminately by the owners since the government decided to privatise the use of the irrigation devices, she said.
She complained that the weakening of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) since 1975 also played a vital role in the unplanned expansion of the groundwater irrigation.
A 2010 survey by the minor irrigation division of BADC revealed that a distance of at least 2,800 metres should be maintained between two deep tube wells, whereas privately owned tubewells in most of the areas in the country, including those set by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), kept only a 1,200-metre distance.
Later at the programme, the Agriculture Minister launched the distribution of the new Guti Urea Applicator developed by IFDC, based on previous models invented by Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
The new applicator will be distributed among 500 farmers during this Aman season, said officials in the programme.
Urea application with the new machine is less labour intensive, less time consuming and more efficient compared to that of the older models, the officials claimed.
The Guti Urea Applicator can reduce the total urea use by 30 percent as well as boost the production by 30 percent, they added.
The machine has been developed under the Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project, which is supported by a US$ 40 million initiative, titled ‘Feed the Future’, of USAID.
Chaired by Agriculture Secretary Monzur Hossain, the workshop was also addressed by IFDC resident representative (Asia) and USAID mission director Richard Greene.
Referring to a meeting between the Agriculture Ministry and Asian Development Bank officials, she said, “ADB representatives thanked us for the expansion of irrigated areas, which they have been promoting for long, but I thanked them for the gift of arsenicosis, caused by the irrigation expansion through the installation of shallow and deep tubewells.”
She was addressing a workshop on Guti Urea Applicator, organised by International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC) and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at the BARC Auditorium.
Matia said that although the groundwater extraction for agricultural production boosted the production, the indiscriminate installation of shallow and deep tubewells (DTW and STW) has created health hazards for people.
One of the major reasons behind the spread of arsenicosis is the violation of the command areas while installing the tubewells, she pointed out.
The restriction of the specific command areas for STWs and DTWs was not obeyed and those devices were installed indiscriminately by the owners since the government decided to privatise the use of the irrigation devices, she said.
She complained that the weakening of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) since 1975 also played a vital role in the unplanned expansion of the groundwater irrigation.
A 2010 survey by the minor irrigation division of BADC revealed that a distance of at least 2,800 metres should be maintained between two deep tube wells, whereas privately owned tubewells in most of the areas in the country, including those set by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), kept only a 1,200-metre distance.
Later at the programme, the Agriculture Minister launched the distribution of the new Guti Urea Applicator developed by IFDC, based on previous models invented by Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
The new applicator will be distributed among 500 farmers during this Aman season, said officials in the programme.
Urea application with the new machine is less labour intensive, less time consuming and more efficient compared to that of the older models, the officials claimed.
The Guti Urea Applicator can reduce the total urea use by 30 percent as well as boost the production by 30 percent, they added.
The machine has been developed under the Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project, which is supported by a US$ 40 million initiative, titled ‘Feed the Future’, of USAID.
Chaired by Agriculture Secretary Monzur Hossain, the workshop was also addressed by IFDC resident representative (Asia) and USAID mission director Richard Greene.
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