Rain and water flowing down from upstream have submerged another 2,000 hectares of Boro paddy land in Kishoreganj, bringing the total affected area so far to 9,045 hectares. The haor areas of the district have suffered most, with about 3,000 hectares under water in the haors of Itna upazila alone.

Dr Sadiqur Rahman, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), confirmed the figures at about 5.30pm on Saturday (2 May).

Continuous rain and upstream runoff have flooded wide low-lying stretches of the haor region, putting paddy on thousands of hectares under water. Farmers trying to harvest are facing severe hardship, and heavy rain has also raised fears of damage to vegetable fields in different parts of the district. Although Friday (1 May) was sunny, rain continued from Saturday morning and more land went under.

The Nikli weather office in the district recorded 36 millimetres of rain between 6am and noon, and another 13 millimetres between noon and 3pm.

According to the Kishoreganj Water Development Board, the Dhanu-Baulai river at the Itna point rose to 3.06 metres, 5 centimetres higher than the previous day. The Meghna at Chamraghat stood at 2.73 metres, up 10 centimetres, and the Kalni at Austagram at 2.45 metres, up 15 centimetres. The Meghna at the Bhairab Bazar point fell slightly to 1.80 metres, 7 centimetres lower than the day before.

The board said all the rivers are still flowing below the danger level, at between 109 and 400 centimetres below it at different points. But it fears the rivers could rise further if the rain and upstream runoff continue.

Local farmers said they are in deep uncertainty after so much paddy went under water. Yesterday was sunny, but with rain all day today they cannot dry the paddy kept on the threshing yards, raising fears that the grain will sprout or rot.

Md Sajjad Hossain, executive engineer of the Kishoreganj Water Development Board, said the situation is being monitored round the clock. The local administration and farmers have been asked to stay alert to possible risks, and farmers had already been advised to harvest their paddy quickly and bring it home.

Dr Sadiqur Rahman said field-level data up to Saturday afternoon showed 9,045 hectares under water, with the damage greatest in Itna and Austagram upazilas. If the rain does not increase, he said, the fear of major losses may ease somewhat.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.