This year's floods in Moulvibazar have damaged crops on some 500 hectares and swept away more than 500 fish farms. Farmers and fish farmers had set up their fish farms with loans from various NGOs, and the loss of crops and fish has left them desperate.

Those affected say upstream run-off and heavy rain flooded 28 unions in Kamalganj, Rajnagar, Kulaura and Sadar upazilas. Aus paddy, Aman seedbeds and various vegetable plots went under water and rotted.

The floods also washed away fish from fisheries. Fish farmers could not hold the fish back despite every effort, and fingerlings newly released into the fisheries at the start of the season were carried off by the floodwater.

According to the district office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Aus was planted on 38,530 hectares in the district this year, of which crops on about 250 hectares were affected. In addition, 86 of 3,079 hectares of Aman seedbeds and 65 of 236 hectares of vegetables were flooded.

The district fisheries office says about 405 fish farms in the district were flooded, causing a loss of about Tk 1.16 crore. A full list of losses has not yet been made.

Abdur Razzak, a farmer in Rajnagar upazila, said: "The Aus crop on my two acres has rotted. I spent about Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 on those two acres."

Wazid Mia, a fish farmer in Patanushar union of Kamalganj upazila, said: "I released fingerlings worth Tk 70,000 into my pond, and the flood washed them all away. Small and large fish were swept away too."

District fisheries officer Dr Md Arif Hossain said: "Fish worth about Tk 1.16 crore have been washed away in the district's floods. We will try to help those affected by drawing up a list."

Md Jalal Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Moulvibazar, said: "About 250 hectares of Aus paddy and 86 hectares of Aman seedbeds have been damaged in the floods, as well as vegetables on 65 hectares."

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