Flash flood destroys poultry farm in Khagrachhari leaving owner in debt

A flash flood triggered by torrential rainfall destroyed a poultry farm in Dighinala, Khagrachari, leaving a local entrepreneur facing total financial ruin. Yasmin Akter, a 50-year-old resident of Sudhir Member Para, reported the loss of 1,500 Sonali chickens after water submerged her farm during a three-hour downpour late Friday night.

According to data from the Dighinala weather observation center, 103 millimeters of rainfall were recorded between midnight and 3:00 a.m. on Saturday. The sudden, intense precipitation caused the Boalkhali Chhara canal to overflow, inundating low-lying areas in Merung, Kobakhali, Hamtoli, and Boalkhali, as well as damaging crops and homes.

Yasmin Akter, who has operated a poultry business for 17 years to support her two children currently enrolled in college, had recently invested in the current batch of chickens using a 400,000 taka loan from a relative. She had already sold a portion of the stock for 75,000 taka, but the remaining birds, each weighing approximately 500 grams, were killed in the flood.

“I went to sleep normally, but woke up to find the house flooded and every single chicken in the farm dead,” Yasmin said while cleaning the site on Saturday. “I took out a loan hoping for a profit, but the sudden flood ruined everything. I do not know how I will repay the debt.”

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Her brother, Osman Gani, noted that the family had worked diligently to build the farm using borrowed capital, making the scale of the loss particularly devastating. Local resident Md. Al Amin observed that the water level in the Boalkhali canal reached unprecedented heights, overflowing onto the Jamtoli-Boalkhali road due to the abnormal rainfall in the hills.

Dighinala Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Tanjil Parvez confirmed that the district administration is aware of the incident. He stated that the Deputy Commissioner has directed local authorities to provide assistance to the affected farmer, which will be facilitated through the Upazila Livestock Department to help her recover from the losses.