Khulna: Over 100 shrimp enclosures in Khulna’s Koyra, Dacope, and Paikgacha upazilas were washed away, and significant areas of agricultural lands have been submerged due to continuous heavy rain. As a result of the persistent rain, public offices, educational institutions, and residential areas, including the three upazilas, have been flooded. Roads, nurseries, vegetable fields, and homes have also been affected.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, local residents reported heavy rainfall caused waterlogging in many areas like Gadaipur, Haridhali, Kapilmuni, and Raduli unions. Markets, including the main fish market and roads in Paikgachha town, are submerged, severely hampering daily activities. Like Paikgachha, several unions in Dakop and Koyra are now facing waterlogging, with over 50 shrimp enclosures washed away and significant cropland affected.
Samad Gazi, a farmer from Gadaipur village in Paikgachha, stated that nurseries and fruit saplings have been damaged, and fields of aman paddy and vegetables are underwater, raising concerns about major crop loss this season. Many residents blamed poor drainage systems, blocked culverts, and filled-up canals for the worsening waterlogging.
According to the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and the Department of Agriculture in Khulna, over 3,000 shrimp enclosures and one thousand ponds were washed away, and over 200 hectares of cropland, including aman seedbeds, were damaged, with losses estimated at around Tk 4.5 crore. Senior Fisheries Officer of Paikgachha, Saikat Mallik, reported that around 2,850 shrimp enclosures and over 900 ponds have been flooded, with significant damage to aman seedbeds, vegetables, green chili, and off-season watermelon in the upazila.
Paikgachha Upazila Agriculture Officer Ekramul Hossain confirmed the damage to aman seedbeds and vegetables. UNO Mahera Nazneen mentioned that all sluice gates are kept open, and operations are underway to clear the drains to alleviate waterlogging. Ruli Biswas, UNO of Koyra, acknowledged the damage to croplands and shrimp enclosures.
Meanwhile, the heavy rain has severely disrupted Khulna’s civic life, flooding most of the city’s roads and low-lying areas. Homes and shops have been inundated, causing immense suffering to residents. When contacted, Senior Meteorologist Amirul Azad of the Khulna Meteorological Office explained that due to a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, Khulna witnessed 138mm of rainfall from 6 am Tuesday to 6 pm Wednesday.