Incessant rainfall for the last three days has caused colossal damage to agriculture inundating vast tracts of low lying areas in Koyra and Paikgachha upazilas of the district.Several shrimp enclosures have been washed away by flash flood caused by rainwater.
Besides, a large number of thatched houses were damaged and roads submerged.
At least 200 houses and 15 educational establishments were damaged in five unions of Koyra upazila as nor’wester swept through the area on Wednesday.
Besides, about 1500 shrimp enclosures in seven unions of Koyra uazila were washed away due to rainfall which also damaged huge standing crops.
MA Mannan, chairman of South Bedkashi union, said 40 houses were totally damaged and 60 others partially damaged in Joronshi and
Patakhali villages of his union during the downpour.
Binapani Primary Girls School was damaged by the storm.
Sardar Matiar Rahman, chairman of North Bedkashi union, said 20 houses in Borobari, Kachari Bari and Kathmachar areas were fully damaged while 80 houses were partially damaged in his area.
Huge croplands in Koyra sadar, Maharajpur and Moheshwaripur unions were damaged as storm ripped through the areas.
Normal public life in Koyra upazila was paralysed due to the incessant downpour.
People of Koyra no. 4, Gazipara, Harinkhola, Ghatakhali, Pobna, Katkata, Gabbunia, Gatirgheri, Jorongshi, Noyani, Golkhali and several other areas are passing their life in constant fear for the inclement weather.
Mohammad Shamim Hasan, upazila nirbahi officer, said he visited the affected areas and sent a letter for urgent relief to the higher
authorities.
Besides, the incessant rain has kept low-income group people in Kapilmuni of Paikgaccha upazila confined to their houses for the last
three days.
Roads, schools, fish enclosures and croplands in the area went under water.
Several ponds, water bodies, cannels and marshes have been inundated.
Farmers in the upazila could not harvest their boro paddy due to rain.
A total of 24,000 farmers in the district are counting loss for the damage caused to their crops by the rough weather.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension, Khulna, said the farmers could not harvest their sesame, pulses, sunflower, vegetables and watermelons from the field due to the bad weather.
The sesame farmers of Batiaghata upazila suffered huge loss for rain in 2011-12.
This year, the affected upazilas are Terokhada, Dakope, Batiaghata, Dumuria and Paikgachha.
Crops on 6,536 hectares of land worth Tk52.30 crore in five upazilas of the district were damaged this year, sources said.
Agriculture officer of Dakop upazila Nazrul Islam said 50 tonnes of watermelon is produced on one hectare of land in the district but this year only 25 hectares were brought under its cultivation.
Dipankar Mondol, a farmer of West Bazua Bazar, said he cultivated watermelon on his 17 bigha land at a cost of TK1.25 lakh.
He sold watermelons worth Tk40,000.
Subrato Mondol, another farmer, said he cultivated the fruit on 22 bighas of land spending Tk 1.60 lakh and yielded watermelons of
Tk70,000.
Huge watermelons got rotten in Dakop upazila due to heavy rain.
Being compelled, farmers of the affected areas sold each of the watermelons weighing up to four kgs at Tk1 while those weighing six
kgs at Tk 2 in the local markets which usually sell at Tk15/20 per piece in Khulna city.
(UNB, Khulna)
