In the sprawling wetlands of Noluar Haor, the sound of idle excavators echoes across the fields, as machinery stands ready, dump trucks lined up, yet embankment work on several critical projects has stalled - all for want of soil.
For the local Project Implementation Committees (PICs), the shortage has become a source of growing frustration.
Committees overseeing projects 6, 7, 8, and 9 are among the hardest hit. Some have only recently begun construction, while others brought equipment weeks ago, hoping to start work immediately.
“We cannot proceed properly because of the soil shortage,” said Rubel Mia, UP member and president of PIC 9, adding, “We are even buying soil from elsewhere just to get started.”
These embankments are not merely infrastructure projects; they are lifelines for the farmers of Jagannathpur.
Historically, breaches in the Shalika embankment have submerged boro paddy in the haor, destroying livelihoods.
The western edge of Noluar Haor, where these projects are concentrated, was meant to see soil-cutting work completed long ago. Instead, local farmers now witness machinery waiting, suspended in time, while the clock ticks on the flood season.
On a field visit on 31 January, the situation was clear: projects 4, 5, 6, and 10 were in full swing, with competitive soil-cutting underway. Projects 7 and 9 had just begun, and at project 8, machines stood idle at the embankment, poised to start work in the days ahead.
Farmers expressed a mix of concern and impatience.
“The loose soil was cut long ago by the PICs,” said Ataur Rahman, who tends boro crops in the haor, adding, “We cannot afford any more delays. Embankments must be finished on time.”
Local campaigners are equally adamant. Mohammad Shahidul Islam Bakul, chairman of Chilaura-Holdipur Union Parishad and president of the Haor Protection Movement in Jagannathpur, said, “The government has allocated millions of taka to protect farmers’ hard-earned crops. We expect swift action. Farmers’ livelihoods cannot be gambled with.”
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In Noluar Haor, the coming weeks will be crucial, locals said.
They said the success of these embankments could determine whether thousands of hectares of boro paddy survive the next flood season — or sink beneath the waters once more.