Till Last Thursday evening, the Beel Manadar covering some 5,000 bighas of land under Manada upazila of Naogaon was filled with green plants of Boro Paddy. Farmers of the land were dreaming for a bumper paddy harvest from the beel fields. But, all their hopes were dashed into despair following a continuous rainfall from Thursday night to Friday night. There was more than 44-millimeters of rainfall in the district during the period and a huge accumulated rain water in the beel areas as a form of flash flood inundated all the paddy plants. Now, boats are being plied through the paddy fields. It is learnt, paddy plants of some 5,000 bighas more of low lying land have also been damaged by the flash flood in the upazila.
Farmers of the upazila complained, the Beel Manadar has been connected with 18 canals from neighbouring Niamatpur upazila. Even after a moderate rainfall, water is rolled to the beel through those canals resulting in the inundation of crops cultivated on the land in the beel during the dry-season. The last weeks inundation of paddy plants of the beel land was as a result of the impact of rolling water through those canals which caused flash flood creating a devasta ting effect.
According to sources, the river Shiva is being flown throgh the Beel Mandar. But, the river being silted out, there is no flow of water in the river. As a result, various crops have been cultivated on the bed of the river for the last one decade or more. If the river is excavated, there will be no accumulation of water in the beel and the rainwater will not also be accumulated on the beel.
Sources mentioned, more than 2,500 farmers of the villages Darakpur and Beel Jaon under Niamatpur upazila and Paranpur, Cheragpur, Chhutipur, Kochra, Badalghata, Beel Manada, Haludghat, Daoail, Saptania, Sreekla, Pagra and Chalkdaha of Manda upazila cultivated Boro paddy in the Beel Mandar. The farmers had also applied fertiliser and pesticides in their fields. Moreover, Boro paddy plants of low lying areas and fields of the villages Ghona, Korkuchi, Beel Hilna and Beel Uthrail have also been inaudated by the flash flood caused by rainfall.
Sanowar Hossain of village Kochra under Manda upazila informed, he cultivated Boro paddy on 10-bigha of land in the beel-field. There was smooth growth of the plants and they have applied required fertilisers and insecticides on the field. He said he has so far spent Tk 50,000 for the purpose of cultivation of the paddy. But, the devastating flash flood caused by rainfall has dashed his hopes.
Ayes Uddin Khan of village Pagra informed, he cultivated Jirashail variety of paddy of 10 bigha of land but now his field is under deep water and boats are being plied through the water over his field. He has been completely a loser, he lamented.
Affected farmers of the villages informed 18 canals connecting the Beel have been excavated to increase the water flow through those canals. As a result, a moderate rainfall carries huge water through the canals and is accumulated on the Beel Manadar and inaudates the cultivated crops on the beel fields. They demanded, if the Shiva river running through the Beel Mandar is excavated from Kalamara bridge point to Chowbaria bridge, the accumulated rain water from the beel will be removed through the Shiba river and the farmers of the region would be able save their crops from the grip of flash flood.
Manda Upazila Agril Officer ShailaSharmin in this connection said, a target of cultivating of Boro paddy in the upazila has been fixed on 20,000 hectares of land. But, the sudden rainfall has damaged boro paddy of some 115 hectares of land. She further mentioned due to siltation of Shiva river, Beel Mandar is being flooded even after a moderate rainfall. Excavation of the Shiva river would resolve the problem, she added.
