Heavy rain floods low-lying areas at Paikgachha

PAIKGACHHA, KHULNA, July 28: Torrential rain has inundated large parts of Paikgachha Upazila in Khulna, triggering flash flooding in low-lying areas and causing widespread hardship for residents.

The latest downpour came just days after another spell of heavy rain had already left vast areas waterlogged. Ponds, crop fields, orchards and household courtyards have gone under water, while prolonged rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon has damaged Aman seedbeds, vegetable fields, fish farms, plant nurseries and homesteads.

Although Gadaipur, Haridhali, Kapilmuni and Raduli unions are comparatively elevated, the remaining six unions are low-lying and regularly suffer from water-logging after rainfall. This time, however, even higher areas were inundated.

Several roads, including Sonapatty and the fish market area in Paikgachha municipality, were submerged, while many rural roads remained under water. Flooded courtyards and kitchens have made daily life difficult for residents.

Continuous rainfall has also left many daily wage earners without work, pushing them into financial hardship.

In Gadaipur union, hundreds of nursery plots have been submerged, causing significant losses.

Farmer Samad Gazi said heavy rain had inundated his nursery, vegetable fields and Aman seedbeds.

"About 2,000 saplings of jujube, guava and lemon are under water. Even the courtyard of my house has been flooded," he said.

Residents from different parts of the upazila blamed clogged drainage channels for the worsening water-logging.

They alleged that many municipal and union drains have become blocked with silt, while some people have illegally closed drains near their homes for personal convenience, preventing rainwater from flowing out.

Paikgachha Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Ekramul Hossain said heavy rainfall over the past several days, particularly the overnight downpour, had submerged Aman seedbeds in low-lying areas.

"There are few standing crops in the fields at the moment, but papaya, okra and leafy vegetable plots have suffered damage," he said.

He added that agriculture officials were monitoring the situation across the unions and hoped the aman seedlings would survive if floodwater receded within the next 24 hours.