Boro crops of Shanir Haor go under water

Standing boro crops of Shanir Haor, one of the largest wetlands in Sunamganj and which was so far unhurt, went under water early Sunday after protection embankment collapsed under the pressure of onrushing flood water. 
The farmers had been making hectic efforts for the past 25 days to keep stable the protection dam and save their only annual crop.
Local residents said the floodwater started entering the haor around 1:00am, breaching the embankment at Jhalikhal and Sahebnagar under Tahirpur upazila and submerging the half-ripen boro crop on around 10,000 hectare land of the haor within hours. 
Farmer Abdul Khalik of village Gabindashri along the Shanir Haor told New Age that he, with members of his family, rushed to reap the half-ripen paddy immediately after they heard of floodwater entering the haor. 
‘But we returned home empty-handed as the crop went under water within an hour,’ Khalik lamented.
Shafiqul Islam, a farmer and joint-general secretary of Tahirpur upazila Awami League, told New Age that he, along with people of neighbouring villages, worked for more than three weeks to maintain the risky parts of the protection dam but their effort went in vain.
Tahirpur upazila chairman Kamruzzaman told New Age that more than 1,500 farmers of 40 villages of Tahirpur and Jamalganj upazila had been working voluntarily for the past 25 days to repair the risky parts of the embankment. 
‘But the floodwater 
washed away the boro paddy of the haor, with only a week left for harvesting. The farmers have lost their food for a full year,’ Kamruzzaman said.
He alleged that most parts of the haor protection dam were lower than the height of stagnant water outside the dam. 
‘The floodwater could not enter the haor if the Water Development Board had constructed the dam three feet higher,’ he complained.
Tahirpur upazila agricultural officer Abdus Salam said the farmers would be able to reap the crop partially if the floodwater would recede within the next two to three days. 
‘Otherwise, the inundated standing paddy would be rotten,’ he, however, said.
Tahirpur upazila nirbahi officer Saiful Islam told New Age that he visited the area after receiving the news of inundation of Shanir Haor. 
‘Preparation to stand by the affected farmers with sufficient relief materials is going on,’ he said.
Almost 90 per cent out of 2.26 lakh hectare boro crops of the Sunamganj was damaged in flash-flood caused by heavy rainfall and onrush of water coming from upstream across the border. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net