Thousands of hectares of farmland submerged, fear of rising losses

At least five thousand hectares of ripe Boro paddy have been submerged in four upazilas of Habiganj due to continuous rainfall and upstream rushing water. Farmers who managed to harvest their crops are now unable to dry them in the absence of sunlight, leaving the grain at risk of rotting in the sheaves.

The four affected upazilas are Baniachong, Ajmiriganj, Lakhai and Nabiganj, where farmers rely on this as their primary crop of the year.

Mohammad Anwarul Haque, acting deputy director of the Habiganj Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said field officers are currently assessing the total extent of the damage. Farmers had been advised earlier to harvest their crops quickly due to the forecast of heavy rain .

The inundation has affected 10 to 12 major haors in the district. In several low-lying areas, farmers have been seen wading through water desperately trying to salvage whatever remains of their harvest.

While no embankments have breached yet, water levels in several rivers are reported to be nearing the danger mark . The rising water from upstream is entering the haors, complicating the situation further.

Rafiq Mia, a farmer from Lakhai upazila, said he cannot believe his golden harvest is vanishing before his eyes . In Nabiganj's Inatganj area, farmer Rahman Ullah noted that the water rose so rapidly that there was no time to react.

Farmers across the affected upazilas have called for urgent government assistance to mitigate their losses.