Some 8,875 shrimp enclosures and ponds in Khulna's Koyra, Dacope and Paikgacha upazilas were washed away by tidal surges after Cyclone Remal wreaked havoc in the coastal regions of Bangladesh on Sunday night.
As a result, the fishermen of the upazilas have suffered an estimated loss of Tk168.56 crore.
According to the information given by the Khulna district administration, some 5,575 fish enclosures on 7,283 hectares of land and 3,300 ponds on 307 hectares of land have been flooded due to rain and tides.
As a result, 1,835 tons of white fish and 1,724 tons of shrimp were washed away.
Khulna Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Nazmul Hussain Khan confirmed this information.
Aminur Sardar, the owner of a fish enclosure in the Sonadana area of Paikgacha upazila, said he has shrimp worth Tk12-15 lakh, which was washed away by the stormy rain of the night.
Sonadana Union Parishad Member Sheikh Abul Kalam Azad said all the premises of the bill of Soladana have been washed away. As a result, the farmers are facing severe losses.
Meanwhile, crops on 12,715 hectares of land in Khulna were affected by the cyclone.
The Khulna ADC said under the influence of Remal, 1,750.5 hectares of Aush paddy, 1,356 hectares of jute, 575.5 hectares of vegetables and eight hectares of watermelons were damaged.
Kazi Jahangir Alam, director of the Khulna district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said crops had been grown on 12,748 hectares of land in Khulna. Out of this, 12,715 hectares of crops were affected.
Other affected crops include Aush seedlings on 54 hectares, sesame 485 hectares, Mugdal 270 hectares, chilli 175 hectares, ginger 33 hectares, turmeric 203 hectares, groundnut 30 hectares, maize 1.5 hectares, papaya 310 hectares, banana 545 hectares, betel nut 877 hectares and sugarcane 72 hectares.
Azad Ali, a green chilli grower in Dumuria, said water accumulated in his field due to the stormy rain. "It will take time for the water to recede." His three bigha land of chilli is going to be destroyed, he said.
