Heavy rain, flash flood threat loom over haor Boro harvest

Heavy rainfall in recent days and forecasts of continued rain in the coming week have heightened fears of flash floods in the haor regions of Sylhet, threatening the country's Boro harvest.

The seven haor districts – Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, and Brahmanbaria – account for around 20% of Bangladesh's total Boro production. This year, farmers have cultivated paddy on about 9,63,000 hectares of land, but the crops have yet to reach the flowering stage.

Meteorologists say nearly 200mm of rain has already fallen in the Sylhet region over the past four days, with another 200-300mm expected by 23 March. Such early and intense rainfall is unusual for March and raises the risk of flash floods – an annual threat in the haor basin driven by heavy upstream rain from India's Meghalaya and Assam.

Meteorologist Mostofa Kamal Polash, a PhD researcher in meteorology and climate department at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, said heavy rainfall triggered by a western low-pressure system is likely to persist almost daily until 23 March. 

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), water levels in the Surma-Kushiyara and Dhanu-Baulai rivers are rising, although still below danger levels. More rainfall is expected in the haor basin over the next few days, it added.

In the last 24 hours, 106mm of rain was recorded in Lalakhal, 74mm in Jaflong, and 54mm in Sreemangal. In India's northeastern states, Assam and Meghalaya recorded 72mm and 70.8mm of rainfall respectively, said the flood forecasting agency.  

FFWC Executive Engineer Sarder Udoy Raihan said river levels may rise slightly in the next 24-48 hours but are expected to remain below danger levels, offering some short-term relief despite growing concerns in the region.

The situation has been worsened by delays in completing crop protection embankments, which was supposed to be finished by February. Even after extending the deadline, the work remains incomplete in many areas – raising fears of a repeat of the devastating floods of 2017 and 2022.

Local residents and activists allege negligence and irregularities in embankment construction. While most earthwork is complete, slope protection, compaction, and turfing remain unfinished in many places. With rains already underway, further work may have limited impact.

Farmers say the unfinished embankments leave them vulnerable. "Rain has started before the work is done. If floods come early, everything will be lost," said Sultan Mia, a farmer from Dekhar haor.

Bijon Sen Roy, general secretary of the Haor Bachao Andolon central committee, said, "There is delay in embankment construction every year, and this year is no exception. If crops are submerged due to negligence, we will launch protests along with farmers and also take legal action."

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) says Tk148 crore has been allocated to build about 602km of embankments across 53 haors through 718 project committees. Compared to last year, embankment length increased by 11km, number of projects decreased by 25, but costs rose by Tk20 crore.

BWDB's Executive Engineer Mamun Howlader claimed that despite some delays due to elections, all work has been completed within the extended deadline. He added that they would check if they are any shortcomings.

Flash floods frequently strike haor areas in March-April, damaging crops and livelihoods. Experts warn that delays in embankment construction, combined with erratic rainfall patterns, continue to expose farmers to recurring losses.