Untimely floods in Jamuna inundate boro crops in Sirajganj

Boro crops on 700 acres land in five upazilas of Sirajganj went under water as untimely swelling of the Jamuna River took a serious turn in past few days, reports UNB.

Erosion of river banks in Chawhali, Belkuchi, Shahzadpur, Kazipur and Sadar upazilas has compounded the miseries of the villagers.

The onslaught of floods and erosion has damaged crops and left dozens of villagers homeless, locals said.

In the last one and a half weeks, the river swallowed several houses and vast tracts of croplands in the southern part of Chawhali upazila.

Two high schools, three primary schools, three madrasas, Char Salimabad market, roads and arable land in this upazila are under threat of being devoured.

Farmers in these areas said the erosion has intensified due to the rising of huge sandbars in the middle of Jamuna river in this area.

They also alleged the Water Development Board is not taking any action to prevent the erosion even though it started before the onset of monsoon.

Chowhali upazila parishad chairman Farooq Sarkar said the erosion of the Jamuna has been going on for some time in Baghotia and Khash Pukhuria. Efforts are being made to take necessary measures to prevent erosion.

Nasir Uddin, deputy-divisional engineer (Headquarters) of Sirajganj Water Development Board, said a Tk 50 crore proposal on a three-and-a-half-kilometer riverbank conservation project in that part of Chouhali was tabled at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ecnec) meeting when the upazila was under Tangail.

However, recently the upazila has been brought under Sirajganj, but no official letter has been received yet, he added.

Meanwhile, the water level of the Jamuna and its tributaries Karatoya, Baral and Hurasagar has been rising for about two weeks now, inundating croplands.