Heavy rainfall and water from upstream have led to severe flooding in the low-lying areas of five upazilas in Netrakona, submerging over a hundred villages, affecting thousands of residents, and destroying 22,641 hectares of Aman paddy fields and 177 hectares of vegetable fields.
Homes, roads, and educational institutions have been inundated, more than 200 fish farms and ponds have also been washed away. Due to the rising waters, 186 government primary schools have been forced to close.
Many residents have been forced to evacuate as floodwaters entered their homes. They have sought refuge in government shelters, relatives' homes, and high grounds such as bridges, bringing their livestock with them.
Currently, the water levels of the district’s main rivers are slowly receding, but more than one lakh people remain stranded, facing acute shortages of dry food, cattle feed, and clean drinking water.
Among the affected upazilas—Durgapur, Kalmakanda, Purbadhala, Barhatta, and Sadar—Durgapur and Kalmakanda have been hit the hardest, with at least 15 unions facing severe devastation.
Abdus Sattar, a resident of Shukanakuri village in Kakairgora Union, Durgapur, said: “Floodwaters have entered my home. There’s no place left to stay. I’ve been living on the village bridge with my cattle for the past three days. We can’t even lie down, and we need boats to get food from the market. It’s very difficult for us.”
Abdul Karim, another local resident, shared his plight: “My four acres of Aman paddy are underwater. Even if the water recedes, it’s impossible to save the crops. Everything is gone.”
Aminul Haque, from Jaria Janjail Bazaar, also suffered a major loss. “I had released fish worth Tk2 lakh in my one-acre fishery, but the floodwaters washed everything away,” he said.
According to Mohammad Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the district's Agricultural Extension Department office, a total of 22,641 hectares of transplanted Aman paddy and 177 hectares of vegetable fields have been submerged. If the water recedes within the next day or two, not all the crops may be lost, but it will take two to three days to assess the total damage.
District Fisheries Officer Shahjahan Kabir said: “203 fish farms, ponds, and enclosures have been washed away by the flood.”
Meanwhile, Mofazzal Hossain, district primary education officer, said that 186 government primary schools have been closed due to the flooding, but added that once the water recedes, classes will resume promptly.
Netrakona Deputy Commissioner Bonani Biswas assured the public that the government will continue to provide support to flood victims. “We will provide all necessary assistance to those affected until they return to normalcy,” she said.