Boro goes under water

Boro paddy on thousands of hectares of land has gone under water in Mymensingh and Rangpur due to heavy rainfall for the last couple of days and onrush of water from hills across the border.

Our Mymensingh Correspondent reported that about 9840 hectares of Boro cropland in nine upazilas of the district have gone under water due to heavy rainfall and water coming across the border for the last one week.

The affected upazilas are Mymensingh Sadar, Trishal, Haluaghat, Phulpur, Dhobaura, Ishwarganj, Gouripur, Tarakanda and Nandail.

Farmer Rabiul Karim of Tara Amuakanda village in Phulpur upazila said he cultivated Boro on one hectare of land this year but could not harvest the crop as it was in half-ripe stage.

In addition to the heavy rainfall, onrush of water from the adjacent hills through Kharia, Majhili and Kongsha rivers has inundated about 3448 hectares of Boro croplands in Phulpur and Tarakanda upazilas, said Habibur Rahman, training officer at Mymensingh Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).

Besides, water coming through Netai river has badly affected Boro fields in Dhobaura and adjacent Haluaghat upazilas, the official said.

Golam Hossain, a farmer of Purakandulia village in Dhobaura, said farmers in many affected areas are harvesting Boro crops in nearly-ripe or immature stage due to the untimely flood.

In Gaibandha, Boro crops on vast areas in Teesta and Jamuna river basin in Gaibandha Sadar, Sundarganj, Fulchhari and Saghata upazilas have been submerged by flash flood caused by the incessant rainfall in the last week.

Saghata Upazila Agriculture Officer Mobinuzzaman said such heavy rainfall during this time of the year is totally unexpected, adding that it might have happened due to the global climate change.

The recent flood has inundated Boro crops on about 73 hectares of lands in the upazila so far, added the officer.

Besides, vast tracts of vegetable fields in Teesta river basin areas also went under water due to the incessant rainfall, farmers said.