Upazila administration stops Ctg's tea estate's illegal water diversion from canal
The canal, which runs alongside the tea estate, had its flow altered at four points, severely impacting local farmers
The Fatikchhari upazila administration in Chattogram disconnected the electricity supply to water pumps at Halda Valley Tea Estate today (4 April), after the estate authorities were found illegally diverting water from the Baromasia canal.
The canal, which runs alongside the tea estate, had its flow altered at four points, severely impacting local farmers. The administration also halted the diversion of water upstream during the operation.
The raid was led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury around noon. He was accompanied by Md. Sohag Talukdar, Sub-Divisional Engineer of the Water Development Board (WDB), police personnel from Bhujpur Police Station, and local beneficiary leaders.
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UNO Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury stated, "The tea estate authorities were diverting the canal's flow and extracting approximately 1,200 litters of water per minute using pumps. This has caused significant damage to around 500 acres of Boro crops in the area. As a result, we conducted this operation to stop the water diversion at four upstream points and disconnected the electricity supply to the pumps."
The Halda Valley Tea Estate, located in Fatikchhari Upazila, is owned by industrialist Nader Khan.
Local residents have long complained about the estate's actions, which have hindered agricultural activities in the region. They noted that in 1980, the government installed a medium-sized sluice gate in the Narayanhat-Eidilpur area of the upazila to facilitate irrigation for marginal farmers.
Every year during the dry season, hundreds of farmers rely on this system to cultivate Boro crops. However, the tea estate's persistent interference has prevented farmers from accessing the water they need, leading to repeated complaints to the upazila administration.
Mohammad Fazlul Karim, president of the Baromasia Water Management Committee, expressed relief at the administration's actions, saying, "This operation has resolved the water scarcity issue for local farmers, and it will have a positive impact on food production in the area."
Md Sohag Talukdar, sub-divisional engineer of the Water Development Board, issued a stern warning, stating, "If the tea estate authorities continue to extract water unilaterally in the future, we will file regular cases against them."
