MORRELGANJ, BAGERHAT, Sept 19: Heavy rain floated away more than 200 fish enclosures and flooded 40 villages in Patharghata Upazila of the district.
The rain starting from September 13 lasted till September 16, submerging huge croplands in the upazila.
Depression in the Bay of Bengal triggered the heavy rain that submerged these 40 villages in the upazila including Morrelganj Municipality.
Along with fish enclosures and croplands, educational institutions were also inundated. The whole public life has been jeopardised.
Locals demanded permanent town protection dams along both banks of the Ghoshiakhali River via Sannasi.
A visit on Monday (Sept 16) found 14 unions and the municipality submerged, having 1,000 hectares (ha) of transplanted Aman fields.
People of hundreds of houses were marooned in most of the villages in the unions, such as Sadar Union, Khawlia, Baroikhali, Sankibhanga, Hoglabunia, Boloibunia, Panchakaran, Ramchandrapur, and Teligati unions in the upazila.
Roads, ponds and educational institutions were submerged.
Bodnidanga of Hoglabunia, Sankibhanga, Pathamara, and Khawlia Bazar Bridge and Ombika Charan Laha Pilot High School, Bodnibhanga Model High School, Pathamara Government Primary School, Baharbunia SB High School and other river banking educational institutions are under threat.
Trading activities of shops in the town have been suspended for three/four days due to submergence of Kancha Bazar College Road in Kapuriapotti area, KG School Road, and upazila administrative building.
Dwellers of Baroikhali Village Hossain Hawladar and Shahin Sheikh, Morgina Begum and Champa Begum of Panchakaron Village said, their ovens have been submerged, halting their food cooking.
Fruit businessman Mizan Khan in the town and garments trader Polash Shikdar said, the water pressure increases at 12pm and water enters shops; it kills their three hours of business time; customers from villages go back.
"We don't know where the end of this suffering is," they added.
They further said, if the water pressure continues for one week, the damage will go up.
Executive Engineer of Water Development Board-Morrelganj Md Masum Billah said, already work has been started for preventing erosion by the Panguchhi River in Sadar Upazila adjacent areas; and also the dredging of the Bishkhali River is going on.
Morrelganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Saiful Islam said, heavy raining has caused water-logging to about 1,000 ha of low-lying land out of total 16,000 ha of croplands.
Upazila Fisheries Officer Binoy Kumar said, rain for four days washed away fish enclosures.
"We are trying to estimate damage costs," he added.
