The second phase of flooding in seven upazilas of Moulvibazar has damaged 981 fisheries and ponds, costing about Tk5 crore, according to the Moulvibazar District Fisheries Office.
However, the fisheries and pond owners claim the losses amount to Tk10 crore at least.
Moulvibazar District Fisheries Officer Md Shahnewaz Siraji said: “About 718 tons of fish from fisheries in seven upazilas and an additional Tk71 lakh worth of fish fry escaped into floodwaters. The total estimated damage exceeds Tk5 crore.”
Fishery and pond owners dispute the District Fisheries Office's estimate of Tk50,000 per fishery, saying that some have faced losses over Tk10 lakh. They suggest that if the average loss per fishery is calculated at Tk1 lakh, the total damage amounts to Tk9.81 lakh.
Flood-hit people in Moulvibazar grappling with food, drinking water crisisZakir Hossain from Shahapur village of Fatehpur union said that floodwaters washed away all fish fry in one of his fisheries, causing a loss of Tk2 lakh. Suez Ali said that three fisheries owned by Fajr Ali, and two others belonging to Sadruddin Islam and Nuruzzaman suffered a combined loss of about Tk7 lakh due to the floods.
Shamim Ahmed, Jahangir Alam, and Amir Ali from Sunampur village reported that 15 fisheries in Keshorpara and Sunampur villages suffered about Tk25 lakh in damages.
Bilal Uddin said that his large fishery submerged beside the Water Development Board’s road, leading to ineffective efforts despite setting up a net barricade; he usually sells fish worth Tk10-15 lakh annually from this fishery.
Disaster Minister: 2m people in 15 districts affected by floodCattle feed Shortage
Due to prolonged floods, cattle feed grass, dry straw, and collected fodder have been contaminated, leading to a severe shortage of cattle feed.
The flood has submerged all rice fields and vegetable gardens. Now, these households need dry rice and straw.
Livestock breeders from the villages of Bhukshimail in Kulaura, Jaifar Nagar in Juri, Talimpur in Barlekha, and the northern parts of Rajnagar near the Kushiyara River and Hakaluki Haor, including Fatehpur and Ekachuna unions, report that they have lost their homes, vegetable fields, ducks, chickens, and fish.
They are facing a food crisis, as cattle, buffalo, and goats are dying of starvation. Therefore, they see no option but to sell these animals.
Flood crisis deepens in Kurigram: 150,000 stranded as rivers swellMoulvibazar District Livestock Officer Md Ashraful Alam Khan said: “An assessment of affected marginal farmers and breeders is underway. In Kulaura and Rajnagar, 10kg of bran and granulated cattle feed per person have been distributed among livestock owners (at the farmer and breeder level). Distribution activities in other upazilas are ongoing.”
The district has already received an allocation of Tk5 lakh. A request for additional funds has been prepared and sent to higher authorities. They continue to advise on protecting livestock from various water-borne diseases.
Water Level receding
While the water levels in the Kushiyara, Sherpur Point, Manu, and Dhalai rivers in the district have decreased, the water in the Juri River is receding slowly. It is still flowing above the danger level, causing prolonged flooding.
The flood affected 300,000 people in the upazilas of Barlekha, Juri, Kulaura, Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, and Rajnagar. The areas most damaged by the prolonged flooding are the northern part of Rajnagar, Fatehpur, and the Monumukh and Khalilpur unions, which affected nearly 150,000 people. Over 200 fisheries are along the banks of the Kushiara River in these four unions.
