Haor farmers face devastating losses in Sunamganj

Farmers in Sunamganj’s haor are facing devastating crop losses as flash floods and waterlogging have submerged vast stretches of Boro paddy fields, leaving harvested rice rotten and air carrying the pungent odor of rotten rice in the peak harvesting season.

Farmer Ali Noor and his wife Syeda Noor of Nasirpur village in Dirai upazila are desperately trying to dry rotten and sprouting paddy. As the harvested paddy remained submerged for a long time, sprouts began to grow on it. When the threshed paddy is dried, it breaks apart and turns into powder.

Marginal farmer Ali Noor said, “I cultivated nine kiaras of land. I managed to harvest only four, while the rest went under water. Even the paddy I harvested was washed away in the fields, and the kiaras were destroyed. I know no other work except farming. All my savings are gone, and I may not even be able to bring rice home for food.”

Small farmer Jagat Roy and medium-scale farmer Nirappa Das of Hasimpur village shared similar stories of suffering. Nirappa Das cultivated 16 kiaras of land at a cost of around Tk 2.5 lakh, but half of it is now submerged. In a voice filled with disappointment, he said that had his wife not worked as a school secretary, he would have starved this year.

Local farmers blame the unplanned construction of embankments as one of the major reasons behind the losses. Farmers Kripesh Das and Ranu Chandra Das of Chakua village in Shalla alleged that the embankment at Jaipur prevented rainwater from draining properly, causing severe waterlogging.
Ranu Chandra said, “Last year there was no embankment there. I don’t understand why it was built this time. Besides wasting government money, it has caused us huge losses.”

Farmers have also alleged irregularities and favoritism in preparing the list of affected farmers.
Gani Mia, a farmer from Laularchar village, said, “Officials from the upazila ask local members for the list, and the members submit the names of their relatives. We want the government to visit the fields, identify the real victims, and provide proper assistance.”

The traditional rice harvesting festival, during which haor people would once stay awake all night in celebration, has now turned into a scene of sorrow.

Most of the haors in Sunamganj district, including Udgal and Chhaya haors in Dirai and Shalla upazilas, are now submerged under vast stretches of water. Along with them, dreams worth several thousand crore taka have also gone under water.

There appears to be a major discrepancy between official data and the reality on the ground.

The district agriculture department claims that 83.843 percent of the paddy harvest has already been completed. However, leaders of the Haor and River Protection Movement have described this information as “false and misleading.”

Obaidul Haque, general secretary of the Haor and River Protection Movement, described the current situation as a “man-made disaster.” He said the information provided by the Agriculture Department and the Water Development Board does not reflect the actual conditions in the haor areas.

“The imaginary statistics on paddy harvesting being prepared while sitting in air-conditioned offices are nothing but a cruel joke with the affected farmers,” he said. “In reality, more than half of the haor crops have been damaged.”

He further alleged that the embankments constructed at a cost of Tk 1.5 billion brought no benefit to farmers. Instead, the unplanned embankments caused paddy to rot as water could not drain properly.
“We want a politically neutral list of the genuinely affected farmers and immediate rehabilitation measures,” he added.

Kamruzzaman Kamrul, MP for Sunamganj-1 constituency, raised the issue in the National Parliament, highlighting the dire conditions in various haors of Tahirpur upazila and demanding urgent action.
Regarding the matter, he said the Prime Minister is treating the issue with utmost importance. A high-level delegation has already visited the haor region, and the administration has been instructed to provide accurate information.

The haor, once filled with golden paddy, is now drowning in silver water. Nature’s fury, unplanned embankment construction, and administrative shortsightedness have pushed the haor economy toward a devastating collapse.

Locals fear that unless effective measures are taken immediately, this vital food-producing region of the country may face an even greater food crisis in the coming days.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj Matiur Rahman Khan said that a list of 98,000 affected farmers has already been prepared, while work on compiling the remaining names is still underway.

According to the District Agriculture Department, paddy was cultivated on 223,511 hectares of land in Sunamganj this year. Officially, only 20,120 hectares are reported to have been affected. However, locals claim the actual extent of damage is far greater, especially as heavy rainfall this year was nearly double that of last year.

The condition of the gopats (earthen roads inside the haor) is also extremely poor. Tractors cannot move through the muddy roads, and farmers are unable to carry paddy on their heads. In some places, even boats cannot operate properly.

It is worth mentioning that Sunamganj, known as “Haorkanya,” is one of the country’s most neglected and underdeveloped districts. The district contains more than 137 small and large haors, and most residents depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Around 63 percent of the district’s land is used for Boro rice cultivation, making Sunamganj one of the top 10 Boro rice-producing districts in the country.