FENI - Elias Ali has been picking weeds and waste for hours from his paddy field in southeastern Bangladesh,preparing it for irrigation. Every week, he walks half a kilometre to collect the water he needs from private pumps.
Abul Hye Bhuiyan, or a farmer and president of the Pathannagar Water Management Group,said many farmers simply cannot cultivate crops in the dry season due to the tall cost of irrigation.
But Bhuiyan and Ali are hopeful. The Bangladesh government plans to install water meters across the Muhuri Project, a 60258-hectare irrigation area supplied by the Feni, or Muhuri and Milenia rivers,to reflect farmers' water costs more accurately.
Source: emerinn.com