Published: 12:20 AM, 05 May 2026
Incessant rain submerges crops, causes paddy to sprout in Sunamganj
A sense of profound despair has gripped the Haor regions of Sunamganj as relentless rains have submerged vast tracts of paddy, leaving farmers to watch their only means of survival rot and sprout in the rising water.
A visit to the Jhauar section of Dekhar Haor on Monday morning showed more than half of the area under water, submerging both ripe and unripe paddy.
As water levels rise, water hyacinths drifting in from nearby wetlands have spread across the fields, covering vast stretches of the Haor.
The scene makes it nearly impossible to distinguish farmland from open water.
Even the paddy that farmers managed to harvest in haste has begun to sprout -- a process known locally as Gera -- rendering the grain nearly useless.
The volatile weather, shifting between sudden rain and brief sun, has made it impossible for farmers to dry their grain or the straw needed to feed their cattle, reports bdnews24.com.
"I cultivated eight keyars (approx. 33 decimals each) of land," said Chad Mia, a farmer from Hasnabasot village, his face etched with worry.
"The water took half before the ears could even ripen.
I cut the rest, but most of it has sprouted and spoiled. How will I feed my family of eight now?"
Nearby, his wife Jamila Khatun was sorting sprouted grains from a pile of harvested paddy.
Pointing to rotting straw, she cried: "The rice is gone and so is the fodder. How am I supposed to keep my four cows alive?"
Around 9:30am on Monday, a bleak picture emerged in the same Haor.
A group of harvest workers led by Nazrul Islam from Achinpur village had set out to cut paddy in the fields of Aslam Mia.
They had agreed to harvest at a rate of Tk 800 per day.
But within 20 minutes, they returned without starting work.
The fields were fully submerged, forcing workers to wade into waist-deep water -- posing serious health risks.
"The fields are frightening. We would have to work in deep water and risk illness. No one wants to cut paddy in such conditions," Nazrul said.
Farmers say even plots near the banks that had remained partially above water are now submerged, making harvesting impossible.
Sadikur Rahman, a marginal farmer from Kalipur village, said he had cultivated two-and-a-half Keyars of land by taking loans after undergoing gallbladder surgery.
"Two Keyars are already under water.
Even the half Keyars I harvested are now sprouting. There's no way to recover submerged crops. Labourers come and go back -- they refuse to work in deep water," he said.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Water Development Board reported the Surma River rose by 12 centimetres between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
At Sunamganj point, the river was flowing at a level of 4.87 metres on Monday morning.
With the waters still rising, the hope of the Haor farmers is rapidly washing away.
