Crops on 113 hectares go under water in Sirajganj

Farmers in the Chalanbeel area of Sirajganj have faced severe losses due to sudden floods.

Hundreds of hectares of paddy fields have been submerged as water levels of rivers have risen. Out of the total land, crops on 113 hectares have been damaged.

Hundreds of bighas of cropland in vast areas of Ullapara, Tarash and Shahjadpur upazilas of the district are now under water due to the rising of tidal surge and continuous rain.

Following the sudden flood water, there is a fear that the paddy would be destroyed due to untimely waterlogging. Besides, the amount of loss is increasing due to the shortage of laborers and excessive wages for harvesting paddy.

Selim Sheikh, a farmer of Magurabinod village of Tarash upazila, said I had planted Boro rice of the Bri-29 variety on 10 bighas of land. The rice was supposed to be harvested after Eid. But the entire paddy field went under water due to the floodwaters. Although the workers are able to harvest some paddy after paying high wages, but most of it is being wasted.

Another farmer Altab Sheikh said ripe Boro paddy fields of 25 to 30 villages in Saguna, Magurabinod and Naogaon unions of Tarash upazila are now under water. The situation is similar in the eight upazilas of Chalanbeel.

Tarash upazila agriculture official Abdullah Al Mamun said that no one has control over the nature. Already, 93 percent of Boro paddy harvesting has been completed in the Chalanbeel region. However, due to adverse weather conditions and sudden inflow of water, there are some problems with harvesting the Nabi variety of paddy in the lower regions of the Beel. Hopefully, all the paddy harvesting will be completed within the next week.