In the Khulna region, comprising Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail, agricultural activities are facing severe disruptions due to salinity, drought and waterlogging as the impact of climate change has led to erratic rainfall patterns, including both excessive rain and drought.
As the Bangla month of Bhadro comes to an end, many farmers have yet to complete Aman paddy planting. Heavy rains and breaches in embankments have destroyed many paddy fields and nurseries, leaving farmers in disarray. With Aman planting incomplete, farmers are anxious about the potential yields.
In addition, there are significant issues with water drainage in the canals of Bagerhat and Khulna, particularly in the coastal areas near the Sundarbans. Pollution blocks water drainage, while siltation caused by shrimp farming is also a problem; during drainage, the canals often bring in saline water, worsening the salinity in agricultural lands.
Despite these challenges, many farmers in the coastal areas are working from dawn to dusk, replanting damaged seedlings and collecting seeds from other regions.
According to farmers, Aman paddy is usually planted in the months of Ashar and Srabon, but this year, there was no rain in Ashar. The delay in preparing nurseries, coupled with waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall, led to the destruction of many nurseries, further delaying planting.
Consequently, production costs had increased due to the need to source seeds externally, they told Dhaka Tribune. Moreover, they said, the delay might affect the price of crops like watermelon and winter vegetables typically grown after harvesting Aman.
Additionally, there are concerns about Boro rice production due to a lack of irrigation water.
Sources familiar with the matter say the target for Aman paddy cultivation in the 2024-25 fiscal year across the four districts in the Khulna region is 299,802 hectares. Of this, Khulna aims for cultivation on 94,810 hectares of land, Bagerhat 73,322 hectares, Satkhira 88,770 hectares and Narail 42,900 hectares.
Kazi Jahangir Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension’s Khulna office, said heavy rains between September 12 and 16 had caused damage to crops worth Tk58.9 crore in the district, affecting 12,150 farmers.
Waterlogging from the rain had affected 17,860 hectares of Aman paddy out of a total of 85,600 hectares, he said, adding that 945 hectares of vegetable fields and crops on 1,145 hectares had also been damaged.
Recent reports indicate that in the last two weeks of August, flooding in Khulna's agricultural zone destroyed crops on 842.38 hectares of land. Natural disasters, embankment breaches and heavy rains caused an estimated Tk28.5 crore worth of damage.
Aman seedbeds across 136 hectares had been destroyed, causing losses of Tk68.6 crore, farmers said.
Farmers from Rampal upazila, Bagerhat, said climate change had severely impacted agriculture in their region, which had increasingly been affected by saline water intrusion due to rising sea levels.
This had led to significant damage to crops and biodiversity, and the loss of freshwater fish species was contributing to food insecurity, they added.
They told this correspondent that farmers and fishermen were losing their livelihoods, while many had been displaced as arable land became unusable.
In Koyra upazila's Madarbari and other areas, farmers said they were struggling to drain water from fields because shrimp farming activities blocked canal drainage systems.
For years, they said, they had failed to recoup production costs, leading some to abandon Aman cultivation altogether.
Meanwhile, despite the presence of a sluice gate in the Narayanpur canal, the leasing of the canal has made it extremely difficult to drain water from the adjacent wetlands.
Nurul Islam and Yunus Ali, farmers from Koyra, said heavy rains had destroyed 80% of their seedbeds, forcing them to replant them elsewhere.
However, high water levels in the fields continue to hinder cultivation efforts.
In other areas like Botiaghata and Dakop, farmers face similar challenges due to waterlogging. Delayed Aman planting affects the planting and harvesting of watermelons, reducing market prices for these crops.
What officials say
Bibhash Chandra Saha, director of the Agricultural Extension Department’s Khulna office, said that despite the challenges, Aman planting had progressed across 277,488 hectares, achieving 93% of the target.
He said the department hoped the region would reach full planting soon, expecting to produce 871,940 tons of rice.
Bibhash said a letter had been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture for incentives, and steps had been taken to provide compensation and rehabilitation to farmers.
“Farmers are being encouraged to plant early Rabi crops. Seeds have already been distributed to affected poor farmers.”
He emphasized that farmers should be given the opportunity to stand on their feet through incentives or low-interest loans, adding that field-level officials were advising and providing maximum support to poor farmers.
Shankar Kumar Majumdar, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bagerhat, said due to climate change, the production of Boro rice in Bagerhat faced major losses because salinity increased, and there was a shortage of freshwater due to a lack of rainfall.
“Last year, 15,254 hectares of crops were damaged due to strong winds and rain from Cyclone Midhili. The greatest damage was to the Aman rice crop.”
Md Saiful Islam, the DAE deputy director in Satkhira, said excessive rain, drought and fluctuating weather patterns threatened the Aus, Aman and Boro rice crops.
Besides, increased salinity disrupted the production of rice and other crops, he added.
Southwestern region vulnerable
Meanwhile, Shamim Arefin, CEO of AOSED, an NGO working on climate change issues, highlighted that world leaders had pledged to keep global temperatures below 1.5°C, but it had now risen to 2.2°C, which was alarming.
“Unusual weather patterns are being observed worldwide, and Bangladesh is no exception. The southwestern region of Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable due to its geographic location. The risks posed by climate change are increasing, and one example is that farmers in this region are unable to plant Aman rice on time. Climate experts have long warned that climate change will reduce food production in regions like South Asia. This year, we are struggling to complete Aman rice cultivation on time.”
Impact of climate change on rainfall patterns
According to the weather office, Bagerhat and Khulna recorded 76mm of rainfall in June, 116 mm in July and 184 mm in August 2022.
In 2023, rainfall increased to 228mm in June, 151mm in July and 300mm in August.
This year, June saw 63mm, July 416mm and August 468mm of rainfall.
In Koyra, 699mm of rainfall was recorded in June, 682mm in July and 255 mm in August 2021.
The next year, rainfall was 114mm in June, 342mm in July and 366mm in August.
In 2023, June saw 404mm, July 295mm and August 365mm of rainfall, while this year, 139mm of rainfall was recorded in June, 345mm in July and 937mm in August.
These figures show inconsistent rainfall during the monsoon, with some years experiencing excessive rainfall and others drought.
Amirul Azad, the person in charge of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s Khulna office, noted that rainfall was much lower in 2019 and 2022, while 2021, 2023 and this year saw increased rainfall.
He attributed this to global temperature rise due to climate change and advised planting more trees.
DAE recommendations
The Koyra DAE office has submitted a report to the ministry on 39 canals in the initial phase, along with another report regarding sluice gates for water drainage.
The report mentions that out of 20 sluice gates in Koyra, six are completely non-functional and 14 need repairs.
It also recommends the construction of four new sluice gates in Hogla, Binapani, Khiral and Nakshata. It further suggests that if saline water intrusion in the 39 canals of Koyra is prevented and freshwater can be stored through dredging, crops worth Tk370.8 crore could be produced annually in the adjoining areas. This includes increased production of Boro, Aus and Aman.
Eighteen of these canals have already been leased for over Tk10 lakh.
A similar report has been submitted for the renovation of 15 canals and the same number of sluice gates in Paikgasa upazila.
Paikgasa Agriculture Officer Aseem Kumar Dash said that due to waterlogging and drought, Aman cultivation in Koyra and Paikgacha had been delayed for the past few years.
“The Aman cultivation target is 17,120 hectares in Paikgasa and 16,235 hectares in Koyra. So far 38% of the target has been achieved in Koyra and 53% in Paikgasa.”
He said addressing embankment issues, removing nets and barriers, dredging the canals, and constructing and repairing sluice gates to prevent saline water intrusion could revolutionize the agricultural economy of the two upazilas.
Sharif Jamil, coordinator of Waterkeepers Bangladesh and former general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), pointed out that blocking water flow in canals with embankments or nets and pollution could lead to the eventual filling up of the canal.
“This creates waterlogging during the rainy season and a shortage of groundwater during the dry season in surrounding areas. The obstruction of canals negatively impacts agriculture and leads to the death of nearby rivers or wetlands,” he added.
The DAE’s Kazi Jahangir Hossain said additional seedbeds had been created after the damage.
He is hopeful that there will be no shortage of seedlings.
The target for Aman cultivation this year was 94,265 hectares in Khulna, he said, adding that 22,600 farmers had already received seeds and fertilizers.
He went on to say that several canals had been dredged at the upazila level, and information regarding the leasing of canals and potential crop production had been sent to the ministry, along with requests for further dredging, sluice gate construction and repairs.
