About 76% of the total water used for various purposes including irrigation in the agricultural lands of the country is being extracted from the underground. The remaining 24 percent of the water is being extracted from the surface. The amount of fresh water is decreasing as a result of increasing the level of water extraction from the ground and sea salt water is entering different areas.
If the extraction of water from the ground continues, by 2050, about 25 million people in the coastal areas of the country will lose their land and become refugees.
On the other hand nitrogen use increases crop yield by 30-34 percent. The use of more nitrogen fertilizers increases the yield of land crops while decreasing the fertility of the land.
Such alarming information has been received from agricultural experts, ministry and authorities.
Many farmers use more fertilizers on the land without knowing the proper use of fertilizers. As a result, the nitrogen of the fertilizer mixes with the air and pollutes the environment, while mixing with the water causes harm to human beings. Therefore, its use should be moderated and gradually reduced.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque informed that, The government is working to increase food production. The government's goal is to ensure safe and nutritious food for all, for which farmers need to be aware. Farmers need to be informed that excessive use of fertilizers has adverse effects on the environment and people. The use of chemical fertilizers per hectare of arable land is much higher for our agricultural needs.
Known that, In the last one decade, the amount of groundwater extraction through various projects of the Ministry of Agriculture (construction of water pipelines, double lifting) has been reduced to 76 percent. Bird nests are now being used on agricultural land to reduce the damage caused by the use of various pesticides. As a result, the use of pesticides in different regions is decreasing. Efforts are underway to reduce the use of urea fertilizers to prevent environmental disasters. Scientists at the Rice Research Institute have discovered a new method of spraying urea fertilizer from underground. In this way urea fertilizer does not have to be applied separately in the land.
In the past, the nitrogen required for crop production could be met mainly through the application of organic fertilizers, but nowadays, it is inadequate compared to the demand, so chemical fertilizers are being made by chemically breaking down di-nitrogen molecules and reacting with hydrogen and oxygen. Plants use only half of the fertilizer's nitrogen, and the other half is converted into various reactive nitrogen molecules and mixed with soil, water, and air. Thus the reactive nitrogen increases day by day and new levels of nitrogen pollution begin - says Agriculture Minister.
Boro paddy cultivation mainly draws more water from the ground. The agriculture ministry has taken up various projects to reduce the pressure on groundwater and increase water use from the surface - also informed by Agriculture Minister.