Raging Padma threatens more crops

The mighty Padma has rapidly been swelling over the last few days, flooding vast shoal areas of Pabna Sadar and Ishwardi upazilas.

Floodwater damaged crop fields, especially vegetable ones, in the shoal areas, says the district agricultural extension department.

Water was flowing just below the danger mark at the Hardinge Bridge point in Ishwardi yesterday morning, according to the hydrology office. 

Jahidul Islam, executive engineer of the hydrology department in Pabna, said the river water was rising due to the onrush of water from the upstream.

"The water level is creeping towards the danger mark, but we are hoping that the water level will not cross the danger level at this moment," he said, adding that they were expecting that the level would drop.

While visiting Bhabanipur and Lokhmikunda of Ishwardi and Ghoshpur, Char Shibrampur and a few other areas beside the river in Sadar upazila yesterday morning, this correspondent found vast shoals and cropland submerged as the river water flooded low-laying areas.

"I have cultivated four bighas of vegetables, entire vegetable fields have gone under water. The water entered the fields 10 days ago," said Jyosna Begum, a housewife of Char Ghoshpur village.

Her house also got inundated.

Talking to The Daily Star, Jamal Uddin, sub-assistant agriculture officer of Pabna agricultural extension department, said over 800 hectares of crop fields were damaged in the shoal areas in the last one week. Of them, vegetable fields were the worst affected, he added.

"People in the shoal areas mostly cultivate vegetables and banana. Due to the floodwater, around 431 hectares of vegetables and 280 hectares of banana fields have so far been damaged," Jamal said.

As the water stays in huge areas for a long time, the cropland damaged by floodwater could finally be estimated after the water recedes, he added.