Habiganj flash floods submerge 5,000 hectares of Boro paddy

Incessant rainfall and an onrushing upstream swell have submerged at least 5,000 hectares of Boro paddy in four Upazilas of Habiganj, leaving thousands of farmers in despair as their primary annual crop goes under water.

The flash floods have hit the low-lying haor regions of Baniyachong, Ajmiriganj, Lakhai, and Nabiganj, where the sudden rise in water levels caught many off guard.

Mohammad Anwarul Haque, acting deputy director of the Habiganj Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said field officers are currently assessing the total extent of the damage.

"Over the last few days, ripened paddy on approximately 5,000 hectares has been submerged in these four Upazilas. We had previously issued warnings to farmers to harvest their crops quickly due to the forecast of heavy rain," Anwarul said.

Farmers reported that even the paddy already harvested is rotting in the fields.

The lack of sunlight has made it impossible to dry the grain, preventing them from storing it in granaries.

The inundation has affected 10 to 12 major haors in the district.

In several areas, farmers were desperately diving into shoulder-deep water to salvage what remains of their crops.

"No one sees the tears of the farmers. I cannot believe our golden harvest is vanishing before our eyes," said Rafiq Mia, a farmer from Lakhai.

"All eight bighas of my land are underwater. I have no idea how I will support my family for the rest of the year."

In Nabiganj’s Inatganj, farmer Rahman Ullah noted that the water rose so rapidly that there was no time to react.

Similarly, Jihan Ahmed from Ajmiriganj expressed fears that if the rain and upstream flow continue, even more vast stretches of farmland will be lost.

While no embankments have breached yet, the Habiganj Water Development Board (WDB) confirmed that water levels in several rivers are nearing the danger mark.

Md Sayedur Rahman, executive engineer of the WDB, said they are monitoring the situation closely as the pressure from upstream remains high.

Affected farmers have already begun calling for urgent government assistance to mitigate their losses.