In the ongoing flood, people in about 28 unions of Kamalganj, Kulaura, Rajnagar and Sadar upazilas of Moulvibazar are in dire trouble with their livestock. With homes and grazing land under water, a severe fodder shortage has set in. Many animals have fallen ill for lack of feed. In this situation, many people cannot sell their cattle even at low prices.

Visits to various unions of Rajnagar, Kamalganj and Kulaura upazilas found that the flood situation had improved somewhat as river levels began to fall. But livestock owners are suffering the most. With large areas under water for several days, grass and fodder have rotted. With no way to graze their animals, many have tethered them on high ground or beside roads. Some are trying to keep their animals alive on rice bran and dry straw.

Livestock owners said their animals had been standing in one place for the past four days. Many have fallen ill, and there is an acute fodder shortage. Because everything was under floodwater there is a smell, and so the animals are not eating even after the water has gone down. Nothing but straw can be given to them, and the grass and fodder have rotted even though the water has receded.

According to the district livestock office, it will take a day or two to get accurate figures on how much damage the flood has done to livestock.

Zarif Mia and Belal Mia of Tengra union in Rajnagar upazila said the whole area had been submerged. "The cattle have gone without food for four days. We cannot find any feed for them. We have eight cows, and two of them have fallen ill," they said.

Moulvibazar District Livestock Officer Dr Md Ashraful Alam Khan said that in the flood, households that keep livestock have naturally been hit somewhat harder. The extent of the flood damage in the district is being assessed, he said.

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