Farmers in downstream areas are facing the danger of damage to Boro crops due to rushing water from upstream. Farmers fear enormous loss of Boro crops on thousands of hectares of land in Haor areas of several districts.
On the other hand, crops in the country’s South-western zone are also under threat from saline water.
Many dams protecting haors have been damaged at different places in Sunamganj, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, and Netrokona districts due to rush of water coming from hills. As a result, various crops, mainly the Boro paddy on thousands of hectares of land is submerged under water.
Moreover, the tidal water because of the full moon is overflowing and the crops are being submerged under saline water. Farmers in the south-western zone blamed the inadequate number of sluice gates and their management.
Habiganj Department of Agriculture Extension sources said paddy harvesting in haor areas has started since the middle of this month, but paddy on most of the land cannot be reaped as it is still unripe.
Crops on 8,260 hectares of haor land and 856 hectares of non-haor land have been harvested till 25 April, DAE Habiganj sources said.
In Habiganj, Boro crop has been cultivated on 1,22,370 hectares of land, 70 hectares more than the target.
Of this land, 33,785 hectares are in Baniachang upazila, 14,990 hectares in Ajmiriganj upazila, 12,400 hectares in Sadar upazila, 11,500 hectares in Madhabpur upazila, 11,000 hectares in Chunarughat upazila, 8,630 hectares in Bahubal upazila, 18,845 hectares in Nabiganj upazila, and 11,220 hectares in Lakhai upazila. The department concerned has set a target of 5,22,109 tonnes of Boro production on this land.
Lakhai upazila agriculture officer Shakil Khandaker said that water levels had been rising in the Dhaleswari and Sutang rivers for the last several days, inundating crops on 65 hectares of land in Lakhai Sadar, Shibpur of Bamoi union, and the Swajangram Noagaon area.
He expressed concern about the huge damage to Boro crops in haor areas if the water level keeps rising.
In this upazila, Boro has been cultivated on 11,220 hectares of land, of which, crops on only 1650 hectares have been harvested till Monday.
Mobarak Miah, a farmer in Shibpur, said he is harvesting half green paddy as water has started entering the haor. There is also a shortage of labourers to harvest crops.
Another farmer in the same village, Abu Taher, said crops on 15 of the 16 kanis of land he has, have gone under water. But he cannot hire any labourer even at a wage rate of Tk1,000.
Water Development Board Executive Engineer Shahnewaz Talukder said there is a possibility of flooding in Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, and Netrakona, except for Habiganj. In Lakhai upazila, crops which are cultivated outside the embankment are under water.
District DAE Engineer Moazzem Hossain said that the Boro production is very much buoyant in the district as no big natural disaster has taken place so far. Besides, the agro machinery sold among farmers at a subsidised rate, seeds and fertiliser, were very supportive for the farmers to grow Boro crops.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government was considering alternatives to protect the haor crop. She spoke of constructing expressways and flyovers in the haor area instead of roads.
State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Farooq said, "The government has undertaken two projects to improve the drainage system of the haor area, control of flood in advance and facilitate navigation. Work on these two projects could begin later this year.
The state minister said this after inspecting the crop protection dam at Khai Haor in Shantiganj upazila on April 21.
Moreover, the government has stood by the farmers, who have been affected by the downstream water in the haor area.
As part of the government move, the Ministry of Disaster Management and the district authorities of the haor area are compensating affected farmers with cash incentive and relief materials.