Home ›› 19 Apr 2022 ›› Front
Farmers have reaped paddy of 1.37 lakh hectares of land till Monday which account for 30 per cent of the total boro cultivation in haor areas.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, the highest 50,900-hectare boro paddy had been harvested in Sunamganj, 30,000 hectares in Kishoreganj, 29,000 hectares in Netrokona, 17,000 hectares in Sylhet, 8,300 hectares in Habiganj, 7,500 hectares in Brahmanbaria and 6,500 hectares in Moulvibazar till Monday.
According to the DAE, there are 4.5 lakh hectares of land for boro farming in haor areas under the seven districts that have a total of 9.50 lakh hectares of land. In this fiscal of 2021-22, paddy growers have cultivated boro in 47.07 lakh hectares of land.
Second phase of flash flood brings more boro land under water
The Nazarkhali embankment collapsed at Tahirpur in Sunamganj due to excessive rainfall in north-eastern catchment area inundating boro land in haor on April 3 during the first flash flood. Water flowed from Meghalaya hills in the wake of heavy rain.
The first flash flood washed away around 6,650 hectares of land in seven haor districts. Now the second phase of flash flood started on Sunday overflowing the extended Gurmar haor in Tahirpur upazila. An incessant rainfall, steep waterfall and early rise in water level in north-eastern rivers inundated 8,900 hectares of boro field in seven haor districts till April 17.
However, a total of 12,000 hectares of land went under water across the country including Sirajganj, Brahmanbaria and Lalmonirhat.
According to the DAE, most boro land was awash with water in Sunamganj district. Excessive rainfall and water from upstream submerged 5,500 hectares of land out of total 2,22,805 hectares in the district.
In Sylhet, 2,600-hectare land went under water which is 0.92 per cent of the district’s total boro land.
Among other affected districts, 379 hectares of boro crop land are in Kishoreganj, 140 hectares in Netrokona and 220 hectares in Brahmanbaria – all have been flooded by the rising water.
However, the DAE feels it will not put an impact on the food security of the country.
“The upstream rainfall hit our crop in haor areas. It was not raining according to the forecast. There are damage but that will not put an impact on our food security,” the DAE Director General Benojir Alam told The Business Post.
Remaining paddy at risk
Bangladesh Meteorology Department (BMD) predicted 265-325mm rain in Sylhet division in its April forecast which is the highest in the country.
Meteorologists also warn of more rain in the coming days which may overflow more land in haor areas.
“It will be raining continually in the next five days at least. The amount of rainfall will be heavier compared to that in the beginning of April when first embankment collapsed in Tahirpur,” Abdul Mannan, meteorologist at BMD, told The Business Post.
“The water level in north-eastern rivers will rise which can inundate more areas in haor and also low-lying areas. This is of course not a piece of good news for farmers,” he said. “There is no low pressure in the Bay of Bengal currently. If there was any, it would halt rain in the upper catchment of north-eastern Bangladesh and Meghalaya.”
“Now it is raining in Bangladesh and India due to western low pressure which is gathering vapour from the Bay of Bengal,” described Mannan.
