Heavy rain destroys aman seedbeds on 7000 acres in Patuakhali
Rain-fed Padma devours houses, crop lands in Ishwardi
An aman seedbed damaged by two-week-long downpour at Pashchim Hetalia village in Patuakhali Sadar upazila.Photo: STAR
Heavy rain from early to mid-August destroyed aman seedbeds on7000 acres of land in seven upazilas under Patuakhali district while the rain-fed Padma has continued devouring areas in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Patuakhali district, aman seedbeds on 7037 acres of lands got rotten due to heavy rainfall in the district from August 2 to 13, reports our Patuakhali correspondent. Kalapara radar office and Patuakhali Met office recorded 950 mm and 618 mm rainfall During the time. Of the lands with rotten seeds, 1235 acres are in Sadar upazila, 620 acres in Baufal, 1600 acres in Galachipa, 1482 acres in Dashmina, 1100 acres in Kalapara, 700 acres in Mirzaganj and 300 acres in Dumki upazila. "I planted aman seeds on one acre of land but half of the seeds rot due to the continuous rainfall. We will have to face crisis of aman seeds as many farmers' lost their planted seeds in the rain," said Abdul Mannan Mollah, a farmer of Auliapur village in Sadar upazila. Khalil Khan, another farmer of the same village, said aman seeds on his 1.5 acres of land rot as rain water inundated seedbeds. Abdul Awal, deputy assistant agriculture officer of Patuakhali Sadar upazila, said some seedbeds especially in low lands got damaged due to the rain. AZM Momtazul Karim, deputy director of DAE, said, "Aman seeds got damaged a little due to two-week-long heavy rainfall. We informed the higher authority of the matter. We think that crisis will not hamper aman cultivation in the district as some seedbeds will be recovered soon." Our Pabna Correspondent adds: The rain-fed Padma devoured 170 dwelling houses in Shara union under Ishwardi upazila of the district during the last three weeks. Over five hundred dwelling houses, several institutions and thousands of acres of cultivated lands in five villages of the upazila are also facing the erosion threat. "On Thursday night and Friday, at least 10 houses went into the riverbed at Majhdiarpara village in Shara union of Ishwardi upazila. In last three weeks, the river claimed a total of 170 dwelling houses and 25 hectares of land at Shekherchar, Komorpur, Gopalpur, Majhdiar and Arambaria," Shara union Parishad chairman Md Jargis Hossain said. The mighty river has already destroyed Shekherchar mosque while many other institutions including Arambaria Durga Mondir and Arambaria High School are under threat, he said. Demanding construction of an embankment, hundreds of people including school children and teachers of the affected villages on August 12 formed a human chain in front of Shara union parishad. Ishwardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Jakir Hosain said a Tk 156 crore project to build a permanent protection embankment in Shara union is now waiting for approval by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council.
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