Water level in the rivers and Haors of Sunamganj is gradually increasing due to the heavy downpour in Meghalaya state of India. The Haor region has been flooded as one after another dyke is collapsing. All the dyke in the district are under threat. In the last 24 hours, three crop protection dykes have been breached in the Haor region of Sunamganj.
Late on Thursday night, the dyke of Hatar Haor in Chhatak upazila of the district broke and the croplands in the area sank. Meanwhile, about three hundred hectares of golden crops have been submerged in the dams of Rangamatia Haor in Banshikunda North Union of Madhyanagar Upazila and Putia Haor in Shantiganj Upazila. Farmers of 21 haors in eight upazilas of the district have been affected by the floods. However, as per the government, only 7,000 hectares of crop land has been damaged.
According to the locals, Bhatgaon and Singchaparai are the only walking haors of the union in Chhatak upazila. The peasants fought with the flood water in the voluntary shelter but could not save it in the end. Farmers are trying to cut Boro paddy to protect the leftover crops. Meanwhile, Putia Haor of Dargapasha union of Shantiganj upazila and Kalkali union of Jagannathpur upazila and Rangamatia Haor of Banshikunda North union of Madhyanagar upazila were flooded. As a result, the crops of that Haor have sunk. The farmers of those Haors have been affected by the floods.
Bimal Chandra Som, deputy director of the district agricultural extension department, said the damage could not be calculated as the dykes in Haor had collapsed and the crops had been submerged.
The water is entering three Haors in the district and the crops are being submerged. Seven thousand hectares of paddy land in 21 Haors of eight upazilas of the district have been affected. We are listing the victims. However, paddy is being harvested in full swing in the Haor.