The authorities of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and DAE have taken a scheme titled ‘Blue Gold’ in four upazilas — Sadar, Debhata, Ashashuni and Tala -- in the district.

Under the scheme, officials said, a total of 8,313 hectares of land have been brought under Aman cultivation this time.

Last year, Aman paddy was cultivated in 4,799 hectares of land while it was only 3,200 hectares in 2015, according to sources at the local WDB and DAE offices.

Under the project, a total of 34 beels (water bodies) under polder No. 2 of WDB near the Betna and Marichhap rivers in the district have been brought under Aman cultivation.

‘Blue Gold’ is a collaborative programme between the governments of the Netherlands (donor) and Bangladesh. The Ministry of Water Resources is implementing the programme through the BWDB and the DAE.

During a recent visit to areas along the Betna River Sadar upazila, this UNB correspondent found greeneries all around the beel due to massive Aman paddy cultivation.

Zainal Abedin, a coordinator of Blue Gold programme in Satkhira zone, said the government has revived the linking canals of Betna and Marichhap rivers by re-excavating around 29 kilometers of areas, flushing out water from the beels.

As a result, vast areas of canals, including Badhandanga beel, Chelar beel, Dhulihar-Gobindapur-Borodayal beel, Fatiker beel, Ghoshkhali beel, Habashpur (Kultia-Gobordari-Sarbakashempur-Jordia) beel, Jiala-Badhandanga beel, Kultia-Habashpur beel, Noikur beel, Ramchandrapur beel and Shonakur beel, have been brought under Aman cultivation.

But, the beels of Gadai, Hashkhali, Kamier and Koikhali areas need to be processed for water extraction as the bottoms of the two rivers are higher than the beel-plain, Zainal said.

However, parts of Amodkhali beel, Andher Manik beel, Guddir beel, Gobindapur beel, Hazikhali beel, Kachur beel, Kuthrail-Khori beel, Antakurir beel, Paller Chand beel, Shakunkhali beel, Sholakula beel, Swetpur beel and Altakur beel have been brought under paddy cultivation.

The Aman cultivation in vast areas under has brought smiles to the faces of local farmers as they are expecting bumper production this year.

Kazi Abdul Mannan, a deputy director at Satkhira DAE, said the cultivable lands in the district has increased following the water extraction from the beels under Blue Gold programme.