Boro on 140 bighas goes under water

Around 220 bighas of low-lying land around the Burulia Beel in Jashore's Keshabpur upazila have gone under water after the earthen fence of a fish enclosure collapsed due to heavy pressure of water.

Local farmers said the incident occurred when the earthen fence of one Mejba Uddin Milton's fish enclosure collapsed on Sunday night, inundating 220 bighas of land including Boro saplings on around 140 bighas.

As a result, many farmers, who depend on Boro farming, suffered a huge loss.

Moreover, Boro plantation on vast tracts of land along the Beel area has become uncertain this season, they said.

A number of farmers from different villages under Sufalakathi union said they drained out the stagnant water from their low-lying land to the Burulia Beel, aiming to cultivate Boro paddy.

But suddenly one of the earthen fences of a fish enclosure owned by Milton washed away and flooded the adjacent Boro fields as the enclosure, erected in the middle of the canal, was obstructing the natural flow of the water for long. 

Farmer Nazmul Hossain of Sarutia village said Boro paddy on his three and a half bighas land has gone under water after the earthen fence of Milton's fish enclosure washed away on Sunday.

Another Israfil Hossain of Kalagachhi village said all his 12 acres of land in the Beel area, prepared for Boro cultivation, have been flooded due to collapse of the earthen fence.

Contacted, Mejba Uddin Milton, owner of the fish enclosure, said an earthen fence of his fish enclosure washed away and entered into the nearby croplands due to heavy pressure of water.

Apart from the damaged Boro fields, fishes worth Tk 10 lakh have also been washed away from his fish enclosure, Milton added.

Sufalakathi Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Monjur Rahman said a number of farmers in his union have suffered a huge loss as out of the inundated 220 bighas land Boro was planted on about 140 bighas.

Contacted, Jahangir Hossain, deputy assistant agriculture officer in Keshabpur, said paddy plants get completely damaged if the seedlings remain under water for three to four days.