A farmer in Kishoreganj’s Austagram fears months of labour could go to waste as rising water submerges his Boro crop.
Iqbal Hossain said he was unsure whether he would be able to harvest at all.
“After a few days of rain, almost all the paddy fields in the haor are under water. Machines cannot be used, so we have to cut by hand,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Heavy downpours in the final week of April have eased the summer heat but brought fresh crisis for farmers. Water levels have already surged in the haor wetlands of the north-east, inundating vast stretches of cropland.
Similar reports are emerging from parts of northern, southern and central Bangladesh, where fields are being flooded after continuous rainfall.
In the haor region, four rivers have already crossed danger levels. With more heavy rain forecast in the coming days, the situation is expected to worsen. The Meteorological Department has advised keeping warning signal number three hoisted at all four seaports.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, as of Wednesday morning, water levels in several rivers had risen significantly above danger marks. The Bhugai-Kangsha River in Netrokona was flowing 82 centimetres above danger level, the Someshwari 50 centimetres, the Mogra 2 centimetres, and the Manu River in Moulvibazar 72 centimetres above the threshold.
Executive Engineer at the FFWC Sardar Uday Raihan said flood conditions could develop in Habiganj and Sylhet districts within 24 hours.
“In Sunamganj’s haor areas, river levels are rising at a rate of 1 to 2 centimetres per hour. Flooding may occur there within three days,” he said.
In the past 24 hours, Habiganj recorded 125 millimetres of rainfall, while Netrokona saw 68 millimetres. However, officials say a key concern is heavy rainfall in Cherrapunji in India, which is increasing upstream inflows and putting additional pressure on the haor region.
Runoff from the hills of Meghalaya and Tripura flows quickly into Bangladesh’s low-lying areas. Even without major upstream flooding, water levels in the haor can rise suddenly, submerging crops.
The Meteorological Department said an active low-pressure trough extending from West Bengal to the north Bay of Bengal is contributing to the widespread rainfall.
Over the next five days, rain or thundershowers are likely across the country. Most areas in Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions may see light to moderate rain, with some places experiencing heavy to very heavy rainfall. Parts of Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions are also expected to receive showers.
Authorities have advised the public to remain cautious during thunderstorms and adverse weather conditions.
Senior Meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik told TIMES of Bangladesh that rainfall is likely to ease after 5 May, with some improvement in weather conditions expected.
Heavy rainfall in India’s Meghalaya over the past few days has already begun to affect rivers in Sunamganj, including the Surma and Kushiyara, as well as other waterways, he said.
“As a result, river levels are rising rapidly within a short period,” he added.
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board, water levels have increased at multiple points along the Surma, Kushiyara, Piyain and Shari-Goyain rivers in Sylhet.
Executive Engineer at the Sunamganj office of the board Mamun Howlader said there is a risk of sudden flooding.
Executive Engineer at the Sylhet office Deepak Ranjan Das said that although all rivers are currently below danger levels, continued rainfall upstream could push water levels higher.
Floods shatter farmers’ hopes in Sunamganj
The Bangladesh Water Development Board had urged farmers to cut paddy by 28 April once at least 80 per cent had ripened. But waterlogging has already affected most of the 137 haors across Sunamganj’s 12 upazilas.
Many farmers have moved to the fields with their families in an effort to save what they can.
This season, Boro paddy was cultivated on 223,511 hectares in the district. Of that, 116,982 hectares remain unharvested.
Even where harvesting has been completed, crops often cannot be taken home. Farmers say around 20 per cent of cut paddy is still lying in open yards, unable to dry due to continuous rain.
Official figures from the Department of Agricultural Extension show that 7,057 hectares have been damaged by waterlogging and breaches in protective embankments. However, farmers’ groups claim at least 20,000 hectares of ripe paddy have already been submerged.
A shortage of labour is compounding the crisis. In many areas, workers are scarce even at higher wages.
Deputy Director of the DAE in Sunamganj Md Omar Faruk said adverse weather over the past three to four days, combined with labour shortages, has made mechanical harvesting difficult.
Farmer Jhontu Chandra Das from Achanpur village in Bhanda Bil haor in Shalla upazila said he had to stand in chest-deep water to cut paddy.
“The harvested crop has also been submerged by rain. I cannot sleep from the worry,” he said.
Joint Convener of the Shalla Upazila Krishak Dal Md Ekramul Hossain said labourers were unavailable even at wages of Tk1,200 a day.
“Farmers will not be able to recover their cultivation costs under these conditions,” he said.
Mizanur Rahman, president of the Sunamganj Haor, River and Environment Protection Movement, said the scale of damage is being underestimated in official statistics.
Vice-President of the Haor Bachao Movement Chittaranjan Talukdar warned that underreporting losses could leave farmers excluded from government assistance.
Farmers in Kishoreganj fear heavy losses
Farmers in Kishoreganj are also facing mounting losses as unseasonal rain and rising water threaten the Boro harvest.
This season, Boro paddy has been cultivated on 168,262 hectares in the district, of which 104,000 hectares lie in haor areas. Around half of the crop remains unharvested.
Farmer Kamrul Islam from Austagram said the crop had initially shown promise.
“The yield was good, but now everything is under water. I do not know how I will repay my loans,” he said.
Another farmer, Ratan Mia, said he had cultivated 10 acres with borrowed money but could not harvest the crop.
“I cannot even bring in the harvest. I do not know how I will support my family now,” he said.
According to the Nikli Meteorological Office, the district recorded 160 millimetres of rainfall in the past 24 hours, submerging around 3,000 hectares of Boro fields.
Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board in Kishoreganj Md Sajjad Hossain said farmers had been advised to harvest paddy once 80 per cent of it ripened to reduce the risk of early flooding.
Fears rise in the north
In the northern district of Gaibandha, semi-ripe paddy across hundreds of hectares in low-lying areas – including Sadar, Gobindaganj and Palashbari – has been submerged.
With fields waterlogged, the cost of harvesting has surged to between Tk7,000 and Tk8,000 per bigha, yet labour remains scarce.
Farmer Mintu Mia from Harinabari village said the cost of harvesting a bigha of land used to be around Tk3,000 to Tk4,000.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Gaibandha Atikul Islam said that further damage could be avoided if rainfall does not intensify.
(Additional reporting by Rakibul Hasan in Kishoreganj and Anwar Hossain Shamim in Gaibandha.)
