Farmers in fear of Haor paddy, new warning from Paubo

Photo Collected

A+ A A-

Farmers in Howar of Sunamganj have been in crisis since the beginning of the boro paddy harvesting season. After the flash floods caused by heavy rains, there is a threat of lightning. The fear of flash floods has been added since Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Water Development Board (PUBO) has issued a new warning.

Paubo said that due to heavy rains in Cherrapunji, upstream of Sunamganj, the water level of the rivers is increasing. In this situation, heavy rain is predicted in Sunamganj from April 26.

Farmers said that they are cutting Haor Boro paddy with various fears in mind. Combine harvesters cannot be operated in many places due to water in the haor. Again, the paddy has not yet ripened in all fields. This time due to lack of rain at the beginning of the season, the paddy took more time to ripen.

Sunamganj district administration has held an emergency meeting with the representatives of various departments and people on Wednesday to decide what to do about the harvesting of paddy for the farmers of Haor who are in multi-faceted crisis. In the meeting held in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Minhazur Rahman said that instructions have been given to the officials of all the concerned departments for the necessary cooperation of the farmers. Last year at this time about 40 percent of paddy was harvested, this time it was 17 percent. He said, ‘Inquiries are being made from the highest level of the government. Farmers will not be able to harvest paddy, it will be a shame for us. Upazila Nirbahi officials have been asked to take whatever initiative is necessary.

Redwan Ali (48) of Ichagari village of Sunamganj Sadar upazila said that the paddy of many farmers’ land has rotted in the water. As people started harvesting paddy in Howar, five people died in a lightning strike in the district on Saturday. He also said, ‘Amidst this panic, it is now being said that there will be a flood. It rains almost every day. Can’t even work properly in the field. The farmers are disoriented.

Swapan Kumar Barman (62), a farmer of Karchar Haorpar in Biswambharpur upazila, said that the farmers of Haor have been depending on a lot of machinery for harvesting paddy for a decade. So workers are less. But this time laborers are needed due to water in Howar. This is the big problem now.

All Balumhals in Sunamganj and three customs stations on the Tahirpur border of the district have been declared closed from April 20 to 30 to deal with the labor crisis. In these mahals and duty stations, the workers are requested to join the paddy harvesting.

If there is heavy rain in Cherrapunji, upstream of Sunamganj in India, the hills fall in the Haor area. Cherrapunji rains are more dangerous for crops than Sunamganj rains. Sunamganj received 38 millimeters of rain from 9 am on Tuesday to 9 am on Wednesday. Cherrapunji has received 374 mm of rain in the last two days. It has a hilly slope. Flash floods can occur at any time. So on Tuesday afternoon, when the paddy of the land is 80 percent ripe, the Paubo instructed to cut quickly.

Paubo said that it has been raining since the beginning of Sunamganj Chaitra month. Heavy rains have caused waterlogging in various places. When it rains upstream, hill slopes fall in Sunamganj. It increases the water in Surma, Kushiara and other rivers. Therefore, landslides can occur at any time. Flash floods may occur in Haor area. Crops may be damaged. So the paddy of the land should be cut when it is 80 percent ripe.

Paubo issued another warning on Wednesday It is said that there may be heavy rain in Sunamganj from April 26.

Executive Engineer of Sunamganj Town. Mamun Howladar told Prothom Alo, “If there is heavy rain upstream at the same time, then flash floods may occur. We are advising the farmers to harvest paddy quickly with this apprehension.

Driver Alleges Former MP Used Government Contracts to Cover Up Affair

Read More

When asked whether there is any risk in protecting crops, Mamun Hawladar said, “Part of the Utaria dam was cut in Dekhar Haor for drainage. Now the water is entering the haor through it. We are trying to stop it. But it was not possible until Wednesday afternoon. No other dams are yet at risk.

602 km embankment has been constructed and renovated in 710 projects at a cost of Tk 145 crore to protect the haor crops of Sunamganj. In the meeting held on Wednesday afternoon in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, many people expressed their anger by alleging irregularities and negligence in the dam work.

Mohammad Abdul Haque, former president of District Lawyers Association and member of district BNP convening committee, said that PUBO officials looted government money in the name of dam construction. To cover up the irregularity of the dam work, the farmers are being asked to cut the raw paddy.

Abdul Haque is the plaintiff in a case filed for irregularities and corruption in the construction of a dam after crop flooding in Howre in 2017.

However, Paubo executive Prakoumali Mamun Howladar has denied the allegations of irregularities and corruption in the dam work.

Deputy Commissioner of Local Government Department Asim Chandra Vanik, Deputy Director of District Agriculture Extension Directorate Mohammad Omar Farooq, Additional Deputy Commissioner Motiur Rahman Khan, District President of Haor Bachao Andolan Yakub Bakhat and others spoke in the meeting under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Minhazur Rahman.

In the Haor area of ​​Sunamganj this time since the beginning of Chaitra month, due to light and then heavy rains, waterlogging has occurred in various Haor areas. Many haor paddies are submerged in water. Somewhere the paddy has sunk. Rain water is accumulated in the lower part of the haors. Farmers have tried to drain the water by cutting dams to protect the crops of several haors in the district. Again, in some places, efforts have been made to drain the water by installing pumps on their own initiative. But there was not much result.

Farmers say that laborers used to come to Haor from different parts of the country to harvest paddy. There were also local rice harvesters. Day by day the arrival of foreign workers has decreased completely. Again, as the rice harvester was introduced, the local workers no longer cut rice as before.

According to the sources of the District Agriculture Extension Directorate, 2 lakh 23 thousand 511 hectares of land have been cultivated in 137 haors of Sunamganj. The production target of paddy is about 14 lakh metric tons.

However, till Wednesday, 3800 hectares of paddy has been harvested in Howar Still more than 80 percent of the farmers have paddy in Haor land. Farmers are now worried about that rice.