The sun has appeared in Sunamganj after about four days. But the Water Development Board says there is still a risk of flooding, and the district administration has made all preparations to deal with a flood.

Visits to several haors, including Karchar haor and Dekhar haor, found that on Thursday (30 April) the sky was cloudy in the morning but the sun came out from 11am. Farmers and their families took the chance to dry cut paddy, while also hurrying to cut and bring home paddy they had been unable to harvest because of storms, rain and lightning.

Maya Begum, a farm woman in Karchar haor, said the sun had come out after four days, so she was trying to bring her paddy home quickly.

Another haor farmer, Monir Mia, said that if the sun stays out for a week, it will be possible to dry the paddy and bring it home, and to cut the rest as well.

Shahin, a farmer in Dekhar haor, said the sunshine has brought a good deal of relief to the haor area, so he was quickly drying the paddy he had brought in.

But although the district has seen sun, the Water Development Board says the flood risk has not passed.

According to the board, the Surma rose 47 centimetres from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning and is now flowing 1.69 metres below the danger level. The district recorded 22 millimetres of rain on Wednesday, much less on Thursday. But even with rain and river levels rising slowly, the district still faces a risk of flooding.

Mamun Howlader, executive engineer of the Sunamganj Water Development Board, said the sky over the district is sunny at the moment, but it cannot be said how long that will last. There is still a chance of rain, and it will also rain in Meghalaya in India, which could raise the rivers and create a flood situation.

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