Crops on 10,570 hectares under water as rivers swell in C'nawabganj, Natore

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Sept 30: With the water levels of the rivers Padma, Mahananda, Pagla and Punarbhaba rising in Chapainawabganj and Natore districts, over 10,570 hectares of cropland have gone under water.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Chapainawabganj, T-Aman paddy on around 7,500 hectares of land, early-variety winter vegetables on some 500 hectares and turmeric on 70 hectares of land have been submerged across the region.

Due to prolonged stagnation of water in the low lying areas, crops have started rotting massively, said Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Abul Basar.

As the water levels of the rivers keep rising alarmingly in the district, Sundarpur, Bagdanga, Narayanpur and Alatuli unions of Chapainawabganj Sadar on the banks of the Padma, and Panka, Ujirpur and Darlavpur unions of Shibganj upazila have gone under water.

 The Water Development Board (WDB) is trying to tackle the situation resulting from heavy rainfall in the Ganges basin.

Around 2,000 families of Sadar and Shibganj upazilas have got stranded due to the sudden increase in water levels of the rivers, WDB sources said.

Sultan Ali, an officer of the DAE, Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district, said flood caused considerable damage in low lying areas of Panka, Uzirpur and Dulwarpur.

The extent of loss will reduce if flood water starts receding immediately, he added.

Atiqur Rahman, a sub-divisional engineer of the local Water Development Board, said there was no reason for fear due to flooding in the district.

The flood forecast and warning centre also has not issued any warning.

A DAE official of Natore district said crops on more than 2,500 hectares of land have been damaged in Lalpur upazila due to onslaught of floodwater in the area.

The official added T-Aman paddy on 1,500 hectares of land, sugarcane on 550 hectares and early variety winter vegetables on rest land have gone under water due to fresh swelling of the Padma River.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found that Naosar, Sultanpur, Diasankor,  Rasulpur, Bandobasto, Binodpur, Arsji and Baknai in seven char (shoal) areas of the Padma were worst hit by the deluge.

"I've cultivated early variety radish on four bighas of land spending Tk 34,000 aiming to get good profit but all my hopes have been shuttered as the cropland has been totally damaged," said farmer Juwel Hossain, 45, at Bilmaria village under Lalpur upazila.

Deputy Director of the DAE Rafiqul Islam said farmers of the region have got frustrated due to the extensive damage to their crops, including early-variety winter vegetables.

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