Boro crops submerged as flood situation worsens in Habiganj

The flood situation in Habiganj has deteriorated over the past 24 hours till this morning (1 May), with rising water levels submerging vast Boro paddy fields and seasonal vegetables across the district.

Continuous upstream water flow from India's Tripura, coupled with heavy rainfall, has caused water levels in all major rivers in the district to swell, leading to fresh inundation of low-lying haor areas.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a total of 11,538 hectares of Boro paddy and 55 hectares of summer vegetables across nine upazilas have been affected by floodwaters.

Of the affected cropland, around 5,623 hectares have been completely damaged, while 5,915 hectares have suffered partial damage.

The worst-affected upazilas include Baniachong, where about 3,350 hectares of cropland have been damaged, followed by Lakhai with 2,370 hectares, Ajmiriganj with 2,070 hectares, and Nabiganj with 2,020 hectares affected.

On Wednesday night, a 50-meter section of an embankment on the Khowai River in the Sujatpur area of Baniachong upazila collapsed, inundating vast areas.

Affected farmers said the flooding occurred just days before they harvest paddy, leaving them devastated.

"We were only a few days away from harvesting the paddy, but now everything is under water," said a local farmer.

Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension said field visits are underway to assess the extent of the damage.

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said though water levels of rivers are still below the danger mark, further rainfall upstream could worsen the situation.

BWDB Habiganj Executive Engineer Sayedur Rahman said repairing the damaged embankment would be difficult in the current conditions.

"If upstream rainfall continues and water flow does not decrease, the Boro crop could suffer extensive losses," he warned.