Upstream rains flood haors, endanger boro harvest

Thousands of hectares of boro paddy in Sunamganj’s haor areas are under threat as severe waterlogging triggered by unusually heavy upstream rainfall continues to inundate croplands across the district.

The situation has turned critical since the last week of March when excessive rainfall in upstream catchment areas caused rivers to swell and overflow, sending water rushing into the low-lying haors.
Farmers are now locked in a dispute over how to manage the excess water.

While those in the upper haors are pressing to cut embankments to ease waterlogging, downstream farmers are resisting the move, fearing their fields will be submerged.

According to official data, at least 1,189 hectares of boro land have already gone under water.
Sources at the Water Development Board (WDB) said 710 Project Implementation Committees (PICs) were formed this season across 53 haors to construct crop protection embankments.

Although earthwork has been completed turfing is still underway in many areas.

Rainfall data shows a sharp increase this year, with Sunamganj recording around 200 millimetres of rain in March compared to just 5 millimetres during the same period last year.

“The excessive rainwater from upstream has overflowed rivers and entered haors from multiple points,” said a senior WDB official.

An emergency meeting held by the district administration on March 31 was followed by field inspections to assess drainage requirements.