The flood situation in Habiganj worsened over the past 24 hours until Friday morning, with rising water levels inundating vast Boro paddy fields and seasonal crops.
Heavy rainfall and upstream water flow from India’s Tripura have caused rivers in the district to swell, flooding low-lying haor areas.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, about 11,538 hectares of Boro paddy and 55 hectares of summer vegetables in nine upazilas have been affected.
Of the total, around 5,623 hectares have been fully damaged, while 5,915 hectares suffered partial losses.
Baniachong is the worst-hit upazila with about 3,350 hectares affected, followed by Lakhai with 2,370 hectares, Ajmiriganj with 2,070 hectares, and Nabiganj with 2,020 hectares.
A 50-metre section of an embankment on the Khowai River in Sujatpur area of Baniachong collapsed on Wednesday night, triggering further flooding.
Farmers said the damage came just days before harvest.
“We were only a few days away from harvesting, but now everything is under water,” said a farmer.
Officials said field inspections are ongoing to assess the damage.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board said river levels remain below the danger mark, but further upstream rainfall could worsen the situation.
BWDB Habiganj Executive Engineer Sayedur Rahman said repairing the embankment is difficult under current conditions.
He warned that continued rainfall upstream could lead to extensive losses of Boro crops.
