SM Sahidul Islam, Satkhira 

Due to climate change, salt levels of 25 DS have been found in agricultural land in the coastal area of Satkhira. Moreover, the presence of salt in groundwater is even more alarming. Which has made the scientific officials of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Satkhira Regional Office worried. 

On the other hand, during the current Boro season, a large number of Boro farmers in the coastal area of the district have been affected due to high levels of salt in their land. These farmers are afraid that Boro production will be disrupted.

Md. Fajr Ali, a Boro farmer from Kamargati village of Kaliganj upazila, said that he has cultivated Boro on ten bighas of land in the current 2024-25 season. But due to excessive salt in the land, the desired production of Boro rice will be affected. 20 to 30 percent of the rice plants in the field have dried up due to salt. As a result, the amount of sorghum is high. 

Farmer Amal Kumar of the same upazila said that he cultivated boro on 8 bighas of land this season. But due to sufficient amount of salt in the land and water, the yield of rice was not good. He said that he will spend 1 lakh 20 thousand taka on cultivating boro on 8 bighas of land from seedbed to cutting. But he is also skeptical about whether the condition of the rice in the field will cover half of the cost.

Dr. Md. Sajjadur Rahman, Chief Scientific Officer of the Satkhira Regional Office of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, said that excessive salt has appeared in most agricultural lands in the coastal areas. Among them, salt has been found in the boro cultivation land of Khajabaria area of Kaliganj upazila of the district with a maximum of 25 DS. Moreover, he said that the presence of salt in the groundwater is even higher. As a result, various experimental rice varieties were cultivated in that salt area under the Boro Rice Research Project in the 2024-25 season, but the desired yield was not achieved, he said.

He also said that due to excessive salt, the production of most of the Boro rice in the demonstration fields under the Rice Research Project in the coastal areas is being hampered. The rice plants in the Boro fields have dried up due to salt. However, farmers are being advised to cultivate salt-tolerant rice varieties developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute in those saline areas, such as BRRI Dhan- 67, 99, 63 and 108.  He said that these varieties can tolerate salt, and their production is also very good.

Not only the rice research project field, but also numerous Boro farmers in coastal Kaliganj, Debhata, Asashuni and Shyamnagar upazilas of the district are affected due to excessive salt in their land.

In this regard, Sardar Shariful Islam, Assistant Director of the Bangladesh Environment Department, Satkhira District, said that along with rapid climate change, due to the decrease in the flow of fresh water from the upstream, salinity is increasing in the land of the southwestern districts. The impact of which is most affecting the agriculture of the Satkhira region. He said that if salinity gradually increases, there will be a serious disaster in the Satkhira region within the next five years, as well as a serious disaster in the environment, as well as a serious loss in crop production. However, he said that there is no alternative to planting more trees, creating ponds and water bodies now to save from this terrible disaster.

 Meanwhile, Samsun Nahar, Senior Scientific Officer of the Soil Resources Development Institute, Regional Office Satkhira, said that salt does not remain in the same pattern in the land or water. Sometimes it is more and sometimes less. For example, the presence of salt in the land decreases during the rainy season, and the amount of salt increases during the dry season. However, according to the statistics of 2022, the presence of salt in the land of the coastal area has doubled by 2025. He said. In Kaliganj Upazila, the presence of salt in 2022 was 4.1 DS. In the latest survey of the current 2025, the presence of salt was found at 10.9 DS. However, the survey of salt in the land or water conducted by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is very alarming. If salt is found at 25 DS, it is fatally harmful to any crop.

In this regard, Md. Saiful Islam, Deputy Director of the Satkhira District Department of Agricultural Extension, said that excessive salt is found in the agricultural land of the coastal area as well as in the groundwater.  However, he said that farmers in those areas are being advised to conserve rainwater and cultivate boro. In addition, in addition to opening government canals within the bill, it is recommended to dig more ponds and water bodies through the district monthly meeting.