Habiganj: The flood situation in Habiganj has deteriorated over the past 24 hours, with rising water levels submerging vast Boro paddy fields and seasonal vegetables across the district. Continuous upstream water flow from India’s Tripura, coupled with heavy rainfall, has caused water levels in all major rivers in the district to swell, leading to fresh inundation of low-lying haor areas.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) reported that a total of 11,538 hectares of Boro paddy and 55 hectares of summer vegetables across nine upazilas have been affected by floodwaters. Of the affected cropland, around 5,623 hectares have been completely damaged, while 5,915 hectares have suffered partial damage.
The worst-affected upazilas include Baniachong, where about 3,350 hectares of cropland have been damaged, followed by Lakhai with 2,370 hectares, Ajmiriganj with 2,070 hectares, and Nabiganj with 2,020 hectares affected. On Wednesday night, a 50-metre section of an embankment on the Khowai River in Sujatpur area of Baniachong upazila collapsed, inundating vast areas.
Affected farmers expressed concern over the flooding occurring just days before the paddy harvest. ‘We were only a few days away from harvesting the paddy, but now everything is under water,’ said a local farmer. Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension stated that field visits are underway to assess the extent of the damage.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) indicated that while water levels of rivers are still below the danger mark, further rainfall upstream could worsen the situation. BWDB Habiganj Executive Engineer Sayedur Rahman noted that repairing the damaged embankment would be difficult in the current conditions. ‘If upstream rainfall continues and water flow does not decrease, the Boro crop could suffer extensive losses,’ he warned.