Once covered with golden crops, vast stretches of farmland in Jashore’s Manirampur have now turned into permanent wetlands, where wild grass and flowers grow instead of rice.
For generations, these three-crop fields were the lifeline of nearly 30,000 farming families in the Kochbil area. But today, the farmers who once produced food for thousands are struggling to survive as their lands remain submerged for most of the year.
Farmers blame the rapid expansion of unplanned fish enclosures, locally known as ghers, which they say have blocked natural drainage channels and destroyed thousands of hectares of cultivable land.
Among them is Ansar Ali Ghazi, a farmer from Joypur village who has cultivated land in Kochbil for three generations. His family owns three bighas of farmland, where he once harvested three crops a year. Today, the same land has become a waterlogged marsh.
“Once we grew three crops here. After the fish farms appeared, water started remaining trapped on the land. Now we cannot even cultivate rice properly,” he said.
The 70-year-old farmer alleged that influential fish farm owners have created the crisis by setting up unauthorised enclosures around agricultural land.
“When we protest, they say all government officials in Manirampur are in their pockets. But nobody is in our pocket. We are only farmers. What chance do we have?” he said.
A thousand hectares lost to waterlogging
Located in the south-eastern part of Manirampur, Joypur village is part of the wider Bhobodoho basin, an area long known for its water management problems.
The Kochbil wetland stretches across Joypur and six surrounding villages. Once a highly productive agricultural zone, the area has gradually suffered from severe waterlogging due to reduced river navigability in the Sri and Harihar rivers and the construction of numerous fish enclosures with artificial embankments.
A recent visit to the area found at least 15 large fish farms built across nearly 1,000 hectares of fertile farmland. Local farmers claim most were established without following government regulations.
Under existing rules, fish enclosures require consent from all landowners and must maintain proper drainage facilities. Farmers allege these conditions were ignored by influential operators.
Several government investigations have also reportedly identified irregularities in the management of the area.
Farmers claim repeated complaints ignored
Farmers said they have repeatedly approached the upazila administration, fisheries department and agriculture officials seeking a solution, but little has changed.
Although several administrative investigations reportedly supported their complaints, no effective action was taken, they claimed. Instead, the number of fish farms continued to increase.
Farmer Saiful Islam said outside investors and local influential groups were behind many of the enclosures.
“They are destroying our crops by creating fish farms here. The previous UNO clearly ordered that no new farms could be established and groundwater could not be used for fish cultivation. But none of those conditions are being followed,” he said.
Another farmer, Nazrul Sardar, described the situation as a matter of survival.
“Around 30,000 farmers depend on Kochbil. Because of these enclosures, water cannot drain away and crops are being destroyed. We cannot even produce enough rice for our own families,” he said.
Production falls by 75%
Farmers estimate that before the waterlogging crisis, the 1,000 hectares of land produced around 13,500 tonnes of rice annually through three cropping seasons.
But production has fallen by around 75 per cent, dropping to approximately 3,375 tonnes.
They estimate that the region now loses around 10,125 tonnes of rice every year — equivalent to more than one crore kilograms of grain.
The economic impact has also been severe. Based on an average market price of Tk1,200 per maund, farmers estimate that annual crop value has fallen from around Tk44.1 crore to nearly Tk11 crore.
They claim the artificial waterlogging has caused direct losses of around Tk33 crore every year for local farmers.
Fisheries officials point to legal gaps
Jashore District Fisheries Officer Md Monirul Mamun acknowledged that unauthorised fish farms were a challenge but said existing laws had limitations.
“The fisheries law does not clearly give us the authority to remove illegal enclosures. More legal reforms are needed,” he said.
He added that fish farms must meet several conditions, including legal ownership or lease agreements, proper water entry and exit channels, and approval from a local committee led by the upazila nirbahi officer.
He said registration of new fish farms had been suspended in Manirampur, Keshabpur and Abhaynagar until drainage systems were improved.
Administration promises action
Manirampur Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mahir Dayan Amin said the situation was complicated because some farmers also supported fish farms as they received payments from owners.
“Fish farming has become an economic reality in this region. It contributes to production and exports. But we also recognise that farmers are suffering,” he said.
He added that the administration would prevent further conversion of agricultural land into fish farms.
Jashore Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ashek Hasan said strict action would be taken against fish farm owners who violated government rules.
“The policy on fish farms was introduced in 2019, but many existing farms were established before that. We are taking steps to implement the policy, and those who fail to comply will face action,” he said.
