RAJSHAHI, Sept 1: This year's flood caused damages worth about Tk 45 crore in agriculture and fisheries sectors of the district, said concerned sources.
Water-logging damaged huge croplands, and fish from different enclosures and ponds were washed away.
However, to help victims recover from the damages, the government has started giving incentives to them.
Local sources said thousands of ponds were dug in an unplanned way in different upazilas of the district, blocking water passing mouths.
As a result, stranded rain water caused water-logging. Not only croplands but many houses have also been inundated.
Farmer Nizamul Islam of Nawhata area said, water-logging damaged maize in his 2.5-bigha land. He suffered Tk 20,000 losses. Many growers of maize and papaya have also incurred losses.
Another Abu Bakkar Sujon of Bagmara Upazila said flood and water-logging caused damages worth about Tk 10 crore in agriculture and fisheries sectors here.
Bagmara Upazila Agriculture Office sources said Aush was cultivated in 17,590 hectares and Transplanted-Aman (T-Aman) in 840 ha in 16 unions of the upazila this year. Besides, vegetables and betel nut were cultivated in 8,000 ha.
In Sonadanga, Nardash, Dwippur, Kachari Koali Para, Basu Para, Boro Bihanali, and Zikra unions, 5,105 ha of lands of paddy, vegetables and betel nut got submerged, causing an economic loss worth about Tk 2 crore.
Fish worth about Tk 8 crore were washed away from more than 50 ponds and beels.
Farmer Abdul Kuddus of Sonadanga Union said his Aush and Aman paddies in five-bigha land have been damaged.
Another Abu Jafar of Nomopara Village in Nardash Union said his T-Aman and Aush paddy lands in seven bighas have been completely damaged following the collapse of an embankment.
Zeher Ali and Abdul Malek of Laobaria Village in Dwippur Union echoed them.
All the canals and the rivers of Bagmara Upazila swelled due to incessant raining and tidal water. The breaking of the embankment at Tengra point of Manda area caused swelling in the Fakirni and the Barnoi rivers.
In one night, the collapse of the embankment inundated more than 50 villages in seven unions, including Sonadanga, Dwippur, Boro Bihanali and Zikra.
Upazila fisheries office sources said 25 ponds were submerged in Dwippur, Sonadanga, Kachari Koali Para, and Zikra unions.
Fish farmer Gias Uddin of Nansur Village said they cultivated fish in two beels which got washed away. They have suffered losses worth about Tk 2 crore.
Bagmara Upazila Fisheries Officer Shahadat Hossain said the fisheries farmers and the pond owners incurred the loss due to the sudden flood.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi said the agriculture sector suffered an economic loss worth about Tk 40 crore. These include Aush in 2,758 ha, betel nut in 45 ha, different vegetables in 36 ha, chilli in four ha, and Aman seedbed in one ha.
District Fisheries Officer Alok Saha said the damage in the fisheries sector has been informed to the concerned ministry.
If there is any decision on incentives, listed farmers will get assistance, he added.
Deputy Director of Rajshahi DAE Shamsul Haque said the government has started giving incentives to the affected farmers. Under this programme, 100 floating seedbeds have been prepared for planting Aman at Bagmara.
He also said, in the district, 4,000 farmers got mashkalai pulse seeds and fertilisers while 3,200 farmers got seeds of different vegetable. These incentives are worth about Tk 55 lakh.
More incentives will be given gradually, he added.
