Ctg flood causes loss of Tk 700m for fish sector

Fish farmers in 13 out of 15 upazilas of Chattogram have to count a loss of around Tk 700 million (Tk 70 crore) caused by a recent flood in the district.

The Directorate of District Fisheries shared this information of the extent of loss through investigation after the flood water receded.

However, there was no remarkable loss in the fish sector in Sitakunda and Fatikchhari upazilas.

Md Mahbubur Rahman, survey officer of the district fisheries office, said the extent of loss caused by the flood was estimated at Tk 700 million in the district.

A total of 4,154 tonnes of fish were washed away from 13,379 ponds and 126 fish enclosures in the district during the flood in the district, he said, adding that an amount of Tk 693.8 million (Tk 69.38 crore) was damaged.

People of the district experienced an unprecedented flood from August 1 to 4 this month and the city dwellers were stranded in water for four days since August 7.

The four upazilas hit by the flood badly are Satkania, Lohagara, Patiya and Chandanaish. An amount of Tk 350 million (Tk 35 crore) was damaged by the flood as fish was cultivated in 10,000 ponds of the upazilas.

Md Hasan Ahsanul Kabir, fisheries officer of Satkania upazila, said around 6,000 fish projects were washed away in the flood in Chandanaish, Satkania and Lohagara upazilas which caused a loss of Tk 250 million (Tk 25 crore).

It will take time to recover the loss though the flood water started to recede, he said.

Patiya upazila’s Assistant Fisheries Officer Sujat Kumar Chowdhury said fish of 4,000 of 8,000 ponds in the upazila were washed away causing the loss of Tk 100 million (Tk 10 crore).

Mohammad Hasan Ahsanul Kabir, fisheries officer of Chandanish upazila said they estimated that fish from 2,537 water bodies were washed away in the upazila and it caused a loss of Tk 120 million (Tk 12 crore).

Not only fish but also other agricultural farms were damaged in the flood.

Chandanish’s young entrepreneur Md Harun said around 1000 chickens of his poultry farm died in the flood and his vegetable lands were also damaged.

Fish farmers of the flood-affected upazilas urged the government to extend their support to recover the loss; otherwise, it won’t be possible to make up the loss.