Chattogram floods submerge 7,400 fish farms, ponds; losses hit Tk 39cr

Floods triggered by five consecutive days of heavy monsoon rain have submerged at least 7,400 commercial and privately owned ponds, shrimp farms and other water bodies across Chattogram, causing an estimated loss of Tk 39 crore so far, according to the Department of Fisheries.

The department warned that the damage estimate could rise further as flooding spreads to new parts of the district.

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Among those affected is fish farmer Robiul Hasan Munna of Ramdash Hat on the banks of the Halda River in Hathazari. Two of his ponds, stocked with 80 kg of fish fry produced from Halda River carp eggs, were inundated by floodwaters.

"The current market price is at least Tk 4,000 per kg. I have lost fish fry worth more than Tk 300,000," he told The Daily Star.

Salma Begum, district fisheries officer, said the department has so far received reports of flooding in 7,400 ponds, shrimp farms and other water bodies used for fish production across the district.

The worst-hit areas include Patiya, where about 1,400 water bodies were submerged, followed by Anwara with around 1,100 and Banshkhali with 450 ponds and shrimp farms under water.

Fisheries office says shrimp farming is concentrated in Banshkhali and Anwara, where at least 55 shrimp farms have been flooded.

"Hathazari is known for producing fish fry from naturally collected Halda River eggs. These are very valuable. Around 145 fish farms in Hathazari have also gone under water," Salma Begum added.

In Chhanua of Banshkhali, shrimp farmer Rahim Uddin said three of his shrimp farms were flooded after a damaged sluice gate prevented floodwater from draining into the sea, causing him a loss of around Tk 6 lakh.

Anupam Pal, sub-divisional engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Banshkhali, said one of the two drainage gates at Madhukhali in Chhanua has become unusable, worsening flooding in the area.

"As a result, houses remain under water and fish farms have also been flooded," he said.

Heavy rain has continued in Chattogram for the fifth consecutive day under the influence of the monsoon.

According to the Patenga Meteorological Office in Chattogram, 214 mm of rainfall was recorded in 24 hours until 3:00pm today.

The prolonged rainfall has caused widespread waterlogging in Chattogram city, triggered landslides in hilly areas, and flooded most upazilas in southern Chattogram, leaving thousands of people marooned.