Maungdaw, Arakan State : An informer of Burma ’s border security force has channeled in salt water through canals following high tide in his dam making 30 acres of adjacent arable land unfit for growing paddy. The incident occurred in the first week of May, said a villager on condition of anonymity.
 
The dam owner, also informer was identified as Mortaza, (30), son of Mohammed Siddik from Maung Nama village-tract in Maungdaw Township .
 
Mortaza went to his dam with his friends and channeled salt water to his dam for a shrimp project at high tide. The saline water flooded contiguous arable land owned by other villagers. It destroyed about 30 acres of arable land because of salt silt making the land unfit to grow paddy.
 
Seeing the salt water in their farm lands, villagers asked the Nasaka informer to drain out the saline water, but he paid no heed. The Nasaka informer also blocked the fresh water flowing from the upper reaches of the mountain. If the fresh water flows across their farmland, the salt water will be washed out and the land will become arable.
 
The villagers, however, did not go to the Burma ’s border security force, or Nasaka camp to complain against Mortaza for fear of reprisals as he is Nasaka’s informer.
 
“We have no strength to confront even an informer of Nasaka, what will happen in future, I can’t guess,” a villager said.
 
The irrigation problem has been going on since January 2008.