Most cultivable land in Khagrachhari remain uncultivable due to scarcity of water as three hill rivers have almost dried this winter season.
Tractors used for carrying soil and woods are now running on the river bed every day as these rivers have no water causing multiple sufferings to hill people.
District Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said the total land of Khagrachhari is around 270,000 hectares. Only 30,000 hectares out of 270,000 hectares is cultivable land. Immediate past crop’s Amon paddy had cultivated on around 27,000 hectares of land, but boro is cultivated only on 7,000 hectares of land.
The DAE has set a target to bring at least 10,000 hectares of land under Boro cultivation this season. But the rest 20,000 hectares of land are remain almost uncultivatable due to water crisis.
The big sources of water in hill the district are Chengi, Mainee and Feni Rivers. But all three rivers are drying fast due to silt deposition.
Aminul Islam, a villager of Mohamuni under Ramgorh upazila in the district, said Feni River had almost dried as no dredging had been done in the previous years.
Former principal of Khagrachhari Government College Dr Sudhin Kumar Chakma said once all sorts of trade in the district were continued using boats, launch and steamers on Chengi, Mainee and Feni rivers. But all three rivers have lost its character and now turned as waterless narrow canal.
“It is not only affecting paddy cultivation, but also our bio-diversity” Dr Sudhin Kumar Chakma.
Mohammad Shamsu Mia said they were used Chengi River for transporting all kinds of goods from Khagrachhari to Rangamati and Chittagong. They used to net fishes from the river and cultivated all river bank land using river water.
Tarun Kumar Battachariya, deputy director of Khagrachhari district agriculture extension, echoed the same thing.
He also said: “Deforestation is the main cause behind the situation of the river.”
He said people would have to face dangerous natural calamities in future if they would not stop anti-environmental activities.
