No crop has been cultivated for years on nearly 2,500 bighas of land due to longstanding waterlogging in Burungi Beel of Saghata upazila.

The beel area is surrounded by a road-cum-dyke that prevents drainage of water.

For want of adequate drainage, the area has turned into a wetland covered by hyacinth and other creepers and plants, preventing hundreds of farmers from cultivation.

Vast tracts of cultivable land have turned into marshy land due to rain and floodwater at Gachabari, Burungi, Pathanpara, Osmanerpara, Chandanpat and Kachua villages. The area of waterlogging is expanding every year, creating panic among the farmers.

Locals said there was an outlet canal a decade ago across Kachua village to drain out water to the Katakhali river, but the canal has been gradually filled up with silt due to lack of proper excavation. As a result, cultivation of Aman and Boro crops on the marshy land has become uncertain. Taking a risk, farmers cultivated Boro in the beel area after removing the weeds and hyacinth, but the paddy went under rain water prior to harvesting, so they incurred heavy loss.

Farmer Sabur Hossain said they could not cultivate paddy or other crops on the marshy land that has remained unusable for years. The stagnant water has to be removed, but no one is taking any step to do it, he added.

“I removed hyacinth and other garbage from 19 decimals of marshy lands in the current season, spending Tk 1,500, just for planting Boro seedlings, but I don't know whether the crop can be harvested duly,” said Rahimul Islam of Gachabari village.

Hafizer Rahman of the village said some farmers have already switched to other professions as they could not cultivate on their lands due to stagnant water.

Ayub Hossain of Burungi village said if the government builds outlet channels for discharging stagnant water from Burungi Beel, vast tracts of land could be made suitable for cultivation of Aman and Boro crops.

Kachua Union Parishad Chairman Mahbubur Rahman said recovery of cultivable land was discussed at the upazila parishad meeting.

Saghata Upazila Agriculture Officer AKM Mobinuzzaman said all the sub-assistant agriculture officers have been instructed to submit reports on agriculture lands that have remained unused for years due to waterlogging. He said steps are being taken to bring the lands under crop farming.