Over 400 fish farmers in three upazilas of Sunamganj are facing a major loss of approximately Tk1.61 crore due to a sudden flash flood in the area.
According to the District Fisheries Office, persistent heavy rainfall upstream has flooded local haors and rivers. At least 338 ponds in Sadar, Bishwamvarpur and Dowarabazar upazilas washed downstream with Tk1.44 crore worth of fish. The upstream flash floods on Thursday and Friday washed out low lying areas of Sunamganj.
The investments of hundreds of fish farmers have gone in vain and they are suffering huge losses in these sudden floods.
District Fisheries Officer Aminul Haque said: “The loss is more pronounced in Salukabad and Dhanpur unions of Bishwamvarpur upazila. Almost 250 ponds in Biswamvarpur upazila, 117 Sadar upazila ponds, and 31 ponds in Dowarabazar upazila, were washed away. Fish farmers lost almost 57 tons of fish and 4.3 million hatchlings, alongside a collateral damage of Tk17 lakh. We are listing the casualties to help the farmers.”
A fish farmer from Salukabad union of Bishwamvarpur, Helal Mia, said: “I invested Tk30,000 in my pond to breed Rui fish (Rohu), Mrigal Carp, and Silver Carp, but the flash flood washed away all of my investment.”
Fisherman Faruque from the same locality said: “Only 15 days ago I put in Tk5,000 worth of hatchlings in the pond. All were washed away.”
Fisher Roksana Akter Fatema from the same union said: “I took a loan from a Non-Profit Organization (NGO) to invest in my neighbour’s pond. Now that it is flooded, I don’t know how to pay back my loans.”
Former Union Parishad Chairman of Dhanpur, Rafiqul Islam Talukdar, said: “The people of this region have suffered a great deal from the floods. They will not be able to recover unless the government helps them.”
Bishwamvarpur Upazila Fisheries Officer, Mehedi Hasan Bhuiya, said: “We sent a list of broke farmers to the concerned authority. If we can manage assistance and aid from the government, the damage can be minimized.”
Bishwamvarpur Upazila Union Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Samir Biswas, said: “Almost 51 hectares of water bodies have been inundated and washed out. The government will help enlisted indigent farmers.”
