The farmers are counting huge losses due to floods this year. To begin, it is estimated that farmers have had to count around Tk 140 crore worth of losses for crops alone, never mind about the losses in housing and personal property.
Despite this there is a silver lining. Water Resources Engineering (WRE) Department of the BUET conducted a study which showed that in the coming days the farmers will be benefitted as there will be a lot of water reserve in the land which is critical for irrigation.
On the other hand, there is also expert opinion hinting the financial benefits of this rise in groundwater level which was explicated in a report published in this daily.
It is believed that the farmers will be able to save around Tk 300 crore since they won’t need to use any machinery for irrigation. However, these future pros cannot outweigh the present cons of flood wreaking havoc in the country.
The rampant floodwaters this year have caused the
collection of a lot of sedimentary soil which is
ultimately very beneficial for an agro-based
country like Bangladesh
Meanwhile, the rampant floodwaters this year have caused the collection of a lot of sedimentary soil which is ultimately very beneficial for an agro-based country like Bangladesh. This, added with the high yielding seeds, will be able to procure better harvest for the country.
Other than this, Bangladesh is suffering from a long-term problem of river erosion and this is resulting in the loss of hundreds and thousands of acres of farmland.
Floods have a plausible solution for this as well. Soil deposited by floodwaters prevents erosion and helps maintain the elevation of land masses. This can ultimately help the people who are close to rivers and are at risk of suffering from erosion.
It would be prudent for the government to grab this opportunity and take measures to utilise this blessing disguised in turmoil fully. Flood control is a must.
Other than this, there is also the need for properly using the rich sediment deposited by the flood for better agro production.