DHAKA!!FLASH FLOODS LIKELY TO CAUSE DOUBLE BLOW

Worries Over Boro Harvest: Flash floods may deal a double blow

As the sun shines after two days of rain, farmers in Putamara haor area of Sylhet Sadar rush to harvest paddy. Boro is the only harvested crop in the area and if the farmers fail to save their produce from flood, they face huge losses. Photo: Sheikh Nasir

Rashidul Hasan and Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary

Farmers in the haor region of Sylhet may have to count losses due to damages by flash floods, forecast for later this week, right at the beginning of boro harvest.

The vast lowlands in the regions are a major source of rice for the entire country, and the damages could affect the national supply, experts fear.

The rice growers have already suffered a blow because of coronavirus restrictions.

Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) on Friday said the northeastern region and many areas of India's Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura states may witness moderate and heavy rains between April 17 and 24.

As a result, water levels in four of the local rivers may cross the danger level and cause flash floods in parts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts, it warned. At least 11 rivers in the region may swell.

A farmer carrying his crops on a boat. Photo: Sheikh Nasir

FFWC in a bulletin yesterday said water levels at 30 of 39 points being monitored have been on the rise. 

Meanwhile, only about 10 percent of the harvesting was done until yesterday, said Srinibas Debnath, additional director at Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Sylhet division.

Paddy was cultivated on 4,74,195 hectares of land in the region this year, he said, adding that the boro harvest season had begun last week and would probably continue until the first week of next month, he told The Daily Star yesterday.

The farmers have already been complaining of shortages of workers due to the travel restrictions and nationwide shutdown, our correspondents in the districts said.

Thousands of people grow paddy on the low-lying wetlands of the Sylhet region just once a year. But flash floods at this time of the year are not uncommon and damage to the crop becomes severe at times.

"If the flash flood happens and damages the embankment, we will be in deep trouble," Jwati Mohon Das, a farmer of Dashmontapur village in Sunamganj's Jamalganj, told our correspondent in Sylhet.

Jwati, who started harvesting on Saturday at his four-acre farm, urged authorities to take proper care of the protection embankment.

In 2017, flash floods submerged hundreds of acres of paddy fields in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Brahmanbaria and Moulvibazar, destroying and damaging the crop.

According to the government "Master Plan for Haor Area" prepared in 2012, "The total rice area of Bangladesh is 11.35 million hectares, of which 15.3percent falls in the haor areas.

Paddy harvested in the boro season accounts for over 50 percent of the country's total production, DAE officials said.

FLOOD FORECAST

Citing data from Bangladesh and Indian meteorological departments, EU-based ECMWA and US-based NOAA, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Habiganj and Moulvibazar may witness between 220mm and 320mm rains.

As a result, 11 rivers, including the Surma and Kushiara may see sharp rise in water, it said. On April 23 and 24,  the Jadukata, Sarigoain, Manu and Khoyai rivers may flow over what officials call the danger level, resulting in flash floods in all four districts of Sylhet division, it said.

In yesterday's bulletin, FFWC said water in all major rivers in the northeastern region is increasing, which may continue for 72 hours. It, however, ruled out any flash floods in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department on Friday forecasted that iIsolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Assam and Meghalaya on April 17, 18 and 21; Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on April 17 and 18 and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on April 19 and 21, according to its website.

Talking to The Daily Star, Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, executive engineer at FFWC, said they are forecasting flash floods in the Northern region, especially in areas of Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sunamganj by the end of this week.

He said the floods may harm the paddy in vast haor areas if the farmers fail to harvest them beforehand.

"It's raining in these areas now-a-days as the monsoon has started. The amount of rain in this region is high this year compared to last year, which may create flash floods," he added.

Heavy rains may occur in different parts of India close to Sylhet, worsening the possible flood situation.

Arifuzzaman said they shared the flood forecast and warning information to the government departments concerned and also to field officials so that early measures to save paddy can be taken.

Saying that heavy rainfall has already started in haor areas, he said, "We have advised farmers to harvest within the next three or four days. Otherwise, they might face trouble.

"We have forecast that the intensity of heavy rainfall might increase in a day or two."

WHAT GOVERNMENT DOING

Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told The Daily Star that officials have started a war-like situation to complete the harvesting in haor areas.

"After mobilising workers from different parts of the country, especially from the Northern region, we sent around 50,000 people to the haor areas to harvest paddy," the minister said, adding that people were working tirelessly.

Admitting shortage of workers, Srinibas Debnath of DAE said they have already engaged labourers of sand lifting, stone lifting and tea gardens to harvest the paddy.

"We will harvest all ripe paddy as soon as possible," he said, adding that officials of the Water Development Board are also working to strengthen embankments that keep floodwater out.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary to the prime minister, held a video conference with the officials concerned in Sylhet over the harvesting and other issues of haor areas.

"He directed us to take steps for quick harvesting," Srinibas said.

Deputy Minister AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem of the Water Resources Ministry in a meeting yesterday suggested transporting workers from one district to another for harvesting paddy.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder yesterday told this newspaper that everyone, including the prime minister, was concerned about harvesting the boro paddy, especially in haor areas.

"We asked field-level authorities to provide necessary farming tools and to ensure enough labourers to harvest the paddy while maintaining health safety measures," he said.