Tidal surges badly dent crops in Barisal region
Farmers try to save whatever quantity of their watermelon they can from a field at Pakkhiya village in Patuakhali district as saline water from unusual tidal surges wreaked havoc to robi crops in the coastal areas since Sunday. Photo: STAR
Saline water that entered Barisal region during tidal surges from Sunday to Tuesday caused extensive damage to seasonal crops on thousand of hectares of land. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Barisal said seasonal crops on 15,972 hectares of land in 11 districts under the DAE region went under saline water due to tidal surges during the three days, reports our Barisal correspondent. Damaged crops include watermelon on 1,015 hectares, pepper on 3,530 hectares, different types of pulses on 8,478 hectares, til on 1,184 hectares, ground-nut on 127 hectares, vegetables on 452 hectares, sweet potato on 489 hectares, soybean on 210 hectares, corn on 48 hectares, sunflower on 19 hectares, chickpea on 145 hectares and other varieties of crops on 275 hectares of land. Of the 11 districts under Barisal DAE, Patuakhali saw the most serious damage where crops on 7,445 hectares of land have already been destroyed. Besides, crops on 2,862 hectares in Jhalakathi district, 2,711 hectares in Barisal, 2,227 hectares in Bhola district got damaged, said Shah Alam, additional director DAE in Barisal. "The sudden rise in water level has been caused under the influence of full moon that is nearest to the earth in recent days. It may also be related with climate change after recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan," said Mahfuzur Rahman, executive engineer of Bhola office of Bangladesh Water Development Board. "Watermelon is cultivated in a large scale on the char areas and riverbanks of Charfession, Lalmohan, Manpura under Bhola district and Baufal, Galachipa of Patuakhali district but the tidal surge affected it badly," said Ganesh Datta, a watermelon wholesaler in Barisal. Our Patuakhali Correspondent adds: The district has become the worst affected due to the tidal surges that flooded the coastal areas from Sunday to Tuesday. Robi crops on nearly 8,000 hectares of land in seven upazilas of Patuakhali district got damaged due to infiltration of saline water by recent tidal surges. DAE sources said 1,66,283 hectares of land in the district was brought under robi cultivation. Local farmers cultivated different robi crops like watermelon, melon, sweet potato, chilli, lentil, kidney bean, ground nut, oil seeds including mustard in the area. Mainly the lands outside flood control embankments were flooded by three to five feet tidal surge that damaged all kinds of robi crops, said AZM Momtazul Karim, deputy director (DD) of Patuakhali DAE. Of damaged crops watermelon damaged in large scale and watermelon cultivated on 8,188 hectares land in the district, he added. Tidal surge usually does not rise so high in this season but this time water level increased much higher than previous years, he said. "We demand building flood control embankments in the area to save crops from tidal surge," Abu Bakar, 45, a farmer of Chaka Moina village under Kalapara upazila, who lost robi crops on four acres of land. Like them, about 4,000 farmers including a good number of marginal farmers are now frustrated as their robi crops have been damaged by recent tidal surges in seven upazilas of the district.
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