Special Correspondent :
Water flow from hilly upstream has recently created flash flood in the country’s northeastern region which ultimately overflowed all the haors [wetlands] causing severe damage to crops, fishes and other cultivable items worth millions of taka.
Especially, the ‘boro’ corps in the vast wetlands of Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona and Brahmmanbaria are now under deep water following the collapse of embankments where the farmers become totally helpless.
Against this backdrop, President Abdul Hamid, a man of Kishoreganj haor area, has expressed grave concern over the crisis. In a statement issued by the Bangabhaban Press Wing on Sunday, the President urged the country’s affluent persons to come forward and stand beside the affected farmers.
“The people of haor areas have to maintain their livelihood depending on only one crop. Just before harvesting, the crops are going under water day by day. The sufferings of haor people are tremendous,” the President also said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the local people and concerned circles have categorically blamed widespread corruption by the engineers of Water Development Board in constructing the embankments, for which the dams were collapsed after being unable to bear severe water pressure.
Admitting the fact, State Minister for Finance Abdul Mannan on Sunday said: “I’ve already received allegations of mismanagement and financial corruption in constructing the embankments.”
According to an estimation of a private organization, the farmers of three districts – Sunamganj. Kishoreganj and Netrokona – have lost
2 crore 5 lakh maunds of ‘baro’ crops due to the flash flood.
“Though crops are damaged almost each year, the situation this year is totally different if anyone considers it in extent of the damage,” IT expert Mustafa Jabbar said at a press conference organized by Haor Advocacy Farm held at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city on Sunday.
“In the previous years, we’ve saw that the famers could reap crop even if the haors were flooded. But this year, there is no crop …I’ve never seen such type of devastation in my life. So far as we understand, there was no shortage of fund, but widespread corruption has made the situation critical,” he said.
Officials of the Agriculture Extension Department said the total production of rice would be decreased around 25 per cent this year following the devastation in the haor region. Yearly 25 percent paddy comes from the country’s haor area.
The crops of about 1, 71,115 hectares of lands in Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona districts have gone under water. Of them, the crops of 1, 30,000 hectares of land have been damaged only in Sunamganj. Besides, Netrokona has lost the crops of around 38, 115 hectares of land while Kishoreganj lost crops of 20, 000 hectares of land. The total loss is about Tk 2,053 crore in terms of money.
Against this backdrop, State Minister for Finance Abdul Mannan further said: “We’ll propose that the government write off the loans of the farmers in haor areas, which will help the poor and marginal onesvery much.”
Expressing discontent over the alleged corruption of WDB engineers, the Minister said: “I will also send recommendation to the government to form a high-powered committee to investigate the incident and identify the culprits responsible for this situation.”
The vast area of Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Netrokona is a mosaic of wetland habitat, where there are rivers, streams, irrigation canals and large areas of seasonally flooded cultivated plains, and hundreds of haors and beels. As per an estimation, this zone contains about 400 haors and beels, varying in size from a few hectares to several thousand hectares.
Water flow from hilly upstream has recently created flash flood in the country’s northeastern region which ultimately overflowed all the haors [wetlands] causing severe damage to crops, fishes and other cultivable items worth millions of taka.
Especially, the ‘boro’ corps in the vast wetlands of Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona and Brahmmanbaria are now under deep water following the collapse of embankments where the farmers become totally helpless.
Against this backdrop, President Abdul Hamid, a man of Kishoreganj haor area, has expressed grave concern over the crisis. In a statement issued by the Bangabhaban Press Wing on Sunday, the President urged the country’s affluent persons to come forward and stand beside the affected farmers.
“The people of haor areas have to maintain their livelihood depending on only one crop. Just before harvesting, the crops are going under water day by day. The sufferings of haor people are tremendous,” the President also said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the local people and concerned circles have categorically blamed widespread corruption by the engineers of Water Development Board in constructing the embankments, for which the dams were collapsed after being unable to bear severe water pressure.
Admitting the fact, State Minister for Finance Abdul Mannan on Sunday said: “I’ve already received allegations of mismanagement and financial corruption in constructing the embankments.”
According to an estimation of a private organization, the farmers of three districts – Sunamganj. Kishoreganj and Netrokona – have lost
2 crore 5 lakh maunds of ‘baro’ crops due to the flash flood.
“Though crops are damaged almost each year, the situation this year is totally different if anyone considers it in extent of the damage,” IT expert Mustafa Jabbar said at a press conference organized by Haor Advocacy Farm held at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city on Sunday.
“In the previous years, we’ve saw that the famers could reap crop even if the haors were flooded. But this year, there is no crop …I’ve never seen such type of devastation in my life. So far as we understand, there was no shortage of fund, but widespread corruption has made the situation critical,” he said.
Officials of the Agriculture Extension Department said the total production of rice would be decreased around 25 per cent this year following the devastation in the haor region. Yearly 25 percent paddy comes from the country’s haor area.
The crops of about 1, 71,115 hectares of lands in Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona districts have gone under water. Of them, the crops of 1, 30,000 hectares of land have been damaged only in Sunamganj. Besides, Netrokona has lost the crops of around 38, 115 hectares of land while Kishoreganj lost crops of 20, 000 hectares of land. The total loss is about Tk 2,053 crore in terms of money.
Against this backdrop, State Minister for Finance Abdul Mannan further said: “We’ll propose that the government write off the loans of the farmers in haor areas, which will help the poor and marginal onesvery much.”
Expressing discontent over the alleged corruption of WDB engineers, the Minister said: “I will also send recommendation to the government to form a high-powered committee to investigate the incident and identify the culprits responsible for this situation.”
The vast area of Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Netrokona is a mosaic of wetland habitat, where there are rivers, streams, irrigation canals and large areas of seasonally flooded cultivated plains, and hundreds of haors and beels. As per an estimation, this zone contains about 400 haors and beels, varying in size from a few hectares to several thousand hectares.
