Climate shift forces reliance on groundwater as drought delays Aman paddy cultivation in Bangladeshs Barind region
Farmers in the Barind region of Chapainawabganj are facing an escalating agricultural crisis as delayed monsoon rains force a heavy reliance on deep tube-well irrigation to sustain Aman rice cultivation. While the season should traditionally be marked by water-logged fields and peak planting activity, the region has experienced significantly diminished rainfall, forcing farmers to abandon their historical reliance on natural precipitation.
Recent field observations across the Sadar and Nachol upazilas reveal a landscape where, instead of rain-fed planting, workers are using mechanical pumps to create the saturated soil conditions necessary for transplanting seedlings. This departure from seasonal norms has triggered a sharp rise in production costs, threatening the economic viability of rice farming for small-scale growers.
Local farmers report that the shift is not a sudden occurrence but a trend spanning several years. Muhammad Nasim, a farmer in Haripur, noted that since the installation of a deep tube-well on his land six years ago, the necessity for artificial irrigation has become absolute. Where once the majority of planting was completed by the end of Asharh, current progress remains stagnant, with less than 10 percent of the target area covered despite well into the month of Shravan.
The financial burden is equally acute. Monirul Islam, a farmer in Krishna Pur, revealed that he has been forced to rely almost entirely on irrigation for his ten-bigha plot. With costs for water usage, labor, and planting materials mounting, many farmers express deep concern that the rising expenses are not matched by the market price of rice. For many, the lack of viable alternative livelihoods leaves them tethered to a cycle of cultivation that offers increasingly marginal returns.
Data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) corroborates these accounts, showing a consistent, multi-year decline in average rainfall across June, July, and August. According to Md. Atiqul Islam, Deputy Director of the DAE in Chapainawabganj, the shortage of rain has left the agricultural sector vulnerable. While the department has set an ambitious target to cultivate Aman rice across 53,800 hectares this season, current figures indicate that only 2,490 hectares have been planted as of early this week, highlighting the significant delays caused by the ongoing drought-like conditions.
