This one was drowned. Now it’s raining
Photo Collected
Farmer Russell Mia was carrying the bundles of Boro paddy brought by boat and piling them on the side of the road. The wet body was shaking. He cultivated boro on two and a half bigha land near Kaierkona Bill in Haor. Speaking in Kalnigarh area of Juri-Daserbazar road of Hakaluki Haorpar on Saturday afternoon, Russell Mia said, “I am under water and I am harvesting this paddy.” More than one kiaro of land remains. The rain won’t stop. Kamala doesn’t get it. I used to do I have given up hope of it.
At one stage of talking to Russell, Jahangir Alam, a square farmer, forcibly took him to his house. A few sacks of rice are kept in the village. Taking some paddy from a sack, Jahangir said, ‘Aw Dekhukka, the paddy has sprouted. There is no sun for a week. There is no way to dry rice. It was killed by water, now it is raining.’ The rest is under water.
In Juri and Kulaura upazilas of Moulvibazar, the situation of farmers is almost the same in different areas of Hakaluki Howarpar. According to them, in recent times heavy rains and hill slopes coming down from upstream have caused the water to rise in high and low lands in two upazilas and the crops of many lands have drowned. Some fields were harvested with combine harvester machines and laborers before the rains and floods. After rains, the land becomes waterlogged, making it difficult to cut with the machine. Many workers did not even come out for fear of lightning. There is a labor crisis. In this situation, many of the farmers have come to protect the crops with their family members.
Bargachasi Babulal Das of the local Khakteka village was spreading paddy on the paved floor under the Kalnigarh Government Primary School flood shelter in Juri. He said that he cultivated boro on 10 bigha land. Harvest all the rice beforehand. 12 to 14 maunds of paddy were obtained per bigha. But the yard, the road is wet with rain. Some have been spread here so that the paddy dries a little in the air.
In Belagoon, Sonapur and Deber forest areas, 40 to 50 workers were cutting paddy from under the water and bringing it to the boat. Some people first cut the paddy and tie it in knots and keep it floating in the water. They were also being taken by boat. Nurul Islam, a resident of Belagoon village, said, ‘This time there was a good harvest. People don’t have time to harvest crops. It will rain for so long, no one thinks.
Juri Upazila Agriculture Officer Mahmudul Alam Khan said on Sunday morning that 6 thousand 170 hectares of land in the upazila were planted with Boro rice. Crops in some areas of Hakaluki Haor were submerged. Farmers are affected. 2 thousand 250 affected farmers will be given assistance from the Directorate of Relief and Disaster Management. The list is in progress. However, what kind of assistance will be given has not been finalized.
In Kulaura, 8 thousand 720 hectares of land are planted with boro. Out of this, 380 hectares of paddy has sunk, said Muhammad Jasim Uddin, the agriculture officer of the upazila. Government assistance will be given to 2 thousand 800 affected farmers there. That list is being created.
Moulvibazar Executive Engineer of Water Development Board (PUBO). Khaled bin Alid said on the phone that the water is increasing in the Haor area due to the continuous rain.
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