THE farming of boro rice, the largest rice crop that accounts for 54 per cent of the total rice production, has declined because of water scarcity in the Rajshahi region. This is concerning. Boro farming declined by 10,280 hectares in comparison with the previous season, largely because of the depletion of groundwater. An Institute of Water Modelling hydrological study reports that large parts of the region are 鈥榲ery high and high water-stress areas鈥� with the demand for safe, useable water having exceeded the supply. Before excessive groundwater extraction and dry irrigation in 1990, the average groundwater table depth was eight metres, down to 21 metres in places. An excessive water extraction for drinking, irrigation, fish farming and industrial agriculture has forced the average groundwater level below 15 metres by 2010. By 2021, the average groundwater level dropped to 18 metres across a wide area, down to 46.87 metres in some places. Agricultural extension officials estimate that the total boro yield would be 47,801 tonnes less than the target of 17,48,605 tonnes this season. At Tanore and Godagari in Rajshahi, a vast expanse arable land remains uncultivated because of irrigation water inadequacy.
The irrigation water crisis in Rajshahi, unless addressed immediately, will eventually push more people into poverty and impact food security. A declining rainfall caused by climate change stops aquifers from recharging. Around 1,650 millimetres of average annual rainfall were recorded at a place in Rajshahi in 1985鈥�1990, but the average rainfall declined to 1,050 millimetres in 2021. Flooding hardly helps in aquifer replenishment as the Barind Tract falls in a flood-free zone. With all this happening at the same time, the groundwater table in the region keeps falling, with extraction of water having outpaced aquifer replenishment. Many farmers have switched to crops that have low water requirement, such as pulses, but that too proved a loss-making effort because of drought-like weather making crop diversification ineffective. The government, therefore, needs to shore up a number of issues as groundwater is important in the northwest for not only dry-season irrigation but also domestic needs. Experts for long have recommended the re-excavation of the surface water reservoirs such as ponds, tanks and canals and artificial recharging to improve the groundwater table.
The government should, therefore, take immediate steps to address the irrigation water crisis in Rajshahi. In doing so, it must revisit agriculture and water use policy for the region to prevent excessive extraction of groundwater and find scientifically-based solutions for the replenishment of underground aquifers. A declining agricultural production, particularly of boro, would, otherwise, lead to food insecurity and increased poverty in the region.
