Kurigram
Flashfloods damage crops worth Tk 127 crore in Kurigram
Crops on around 8,027 hectares of land have been damaged due to the recent floods in Kurigram district.
Crops worth Tk 127 crore have been damaged, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) .
According to Kurigram DAE, in nine upazilas of the district, 80,000 farmers have been affected by the recent floods.
Mofizal Haque, a farmer Sadar upazila, said the seedbeds that he prepared have been washed away.
“I am preparing new seedbeds again. I have no way to recoup these losses,” he said.
The damaged crops in the district include Aman seedbed, jute, Aush paddy, sesame, vegetables, peanuts, banana, corn, chili, ginger, turmeric and lentil.
Read: Satkhira flood washes away Tk8.28 crore worth of fish, crab, shrimp
Around 312 hectares of Aman seedbed, 2,500 hectares of Aush, 3,800 hectares of jute, 114 hectares of sesame, 1,600 hectares of vegetables and 18 hectares of quinoa have been damaged in floodwaters.
The Agriculture Ministry has provided Aman seeds and fertilizers to 7,000 farmers in the district.
Nikhil Chandra, another farmer of the area, said, “No matter how hard it is, we have to plant paddy again with a loan.”
Kurigram DAE Deputy Director (Acting) Md Samsuddin Mia said they have provided seedlings and fertilizers to the farmers and some have already planted seedlings in the field.
Three kids drown in Dinajpur, Kurigram
Three children drowned in Dinajpur and Kurigram districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Dinajpur, two minors drowned in the Atrai River.
The deceased are Jitu 12, daughter of Jewel of Fakirganj of Nilphamari and Bhulanath, son of Bhupati Roy of Kachharipara village under Birganj upazila.
Khansama fire service station officer Talha Bin Jasim said Jitu drowned in the river while he was bathing Wednesday afternoon.
On information, firefighters conducted a drive and recovered the body of the teenage girl.
Jitu came to her maternal grandfather's house on Eid vacation, he added.
Read: 8 drown in 5 districts during Eid holidays
Earlier in the day, fishermen recovered the body of Bhulanath, who went missing in the Atrai river at Kalarghat on Tuesday.
He also came to his maternal grandfather's house.
In Kurigram, a child drowned in a hole filled with water which was dug for installing a tube well in Ulipur upazila of the district on Wednesday morning.
Relatives said Raihan Mia, son of Rezaul Islam, of Tabakpur union under the upazila, came to his maternal grandfather's house on Eid vacation. The child drowned while he was playing.
He was rushed to Ulipur upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead, said Maidul Islam, RMO of the health complex.
Kurigram: BSF hands over bodies of two minor siblings
India's Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday handed over to the Bangladesh authorities the bodies of two minor siblings, who went missing on Friday in the border area of Kurigram’s Phulbari upazila.
The deceased were identified as Parveen Khatun, 8, and Shakibul Hasan, 4. They were the children of Rahim Uddin of Poschim Shukati village in Nageshwari upazila.
Read: Cattle traders robbed of Tk 30 lakh in Meghna
The bodies were handed over around 8pm on Tuesday after Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) held a flag meeting with their Indian counterparts at Dharmapur border in Kashipur union.
On Friday, the two siblings went missing while crossing the Nilkumor river, after the BSF chased them as they were in a group trying to cross the border at Phulbari in Kurigram to sneak into Bangladesh illegally.
On Saturday morning, the BSF recovered the bodies and kept them in a morgue.
Mild heat wave sweeping Kurigram
A mild heatwave is sweeping through the district of Kurigram.
The heatwave spell may continue for two or three days, said Sabur Hossain, in-charge of Kurigram Razarhat Weather Observatory Office.
The mercury reached 35.7 degrees Celsius in the district, he said.
Besides, the normal life of the people has been disrupted due to the frequent power cuts amid the scorching heat.
Nurul Mia, a resident of Pachgachi union in Sadar upazila, said “We are suffering a lot as I could not recharge my auto-rickshaw. How would I run the vehicle without charging and what will I get?”
Read: Floods wash away crops and hopes in Kurigram
Nur Nabi, a cybercafé owner, said he is facing problems operating his business due to load shedding. Power supply was disrupted for two hours a day due to load shedding.
The daily wage earners, children and old persons are the worst sufferers of heat waves.
Abu Mia, a fruit trader in Kurigram municipality area, said the scorching heat has been paralysing the life of people and the load shedding added more suffering for people.
Maidul Islam, a handcraft trader, said “My 100 pieces of hand fan were sold today which is highest selling in this year.”
He also hopes that we will be able to sell more than 50 hand fans.
Kurigram: Bodies of two minor siblings recovered
Indian police recovered the bodies of two minor siblings from Digla Kura of Zero Line at Kashiabari border in Phulbari of Kurigram around 1pm on Sunday.Police identified the victims as Parveen Khatun, 8 and Shakibul Hasan, 4.The victims were the children of Rahim Uddin of Poschim Shukati village in Newashi union of Nageshwari upazila.The two siblings went missing while crossing the Nilkumor River, after the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) chased them as they were in a group looking to cross the border at Phulbari in Kurigram to enter Bangladesh without any paperwork on Friday night.Local people spotted their floating bodies this morning and informed law enforcers, said Kabir Hossain, company commander of Lalmonihat's Kashipur."We informed the BSF about the matter", he said, adding that a flag meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Security Forces (BSF) was held in this regard.
Read: Flood: Bodies of mother, son recovered in SylhetBSF said the bodies of the victims in the morgue would remain for a week. They will take humanitarian consideration about the issue after getting their Bangladeshi documents, he added.Rahim Uddin, the father of the missing children, said that his children were born and brought up in India. They had never previously come to Bangladesh."I wanted to bring them along with their mother to Bangladesh and I contacted Indian brokers to bring them home safely, paying Tk 30,000," Rahim Uddin revealed.According to the contract, Rahim Uddin's wife and two children were taken to a house on the border on Friday night. There were 20-25 more people there including women and children.He further said that they tried to cross the Rdhampur border of Kashipur union of Phulbari upazila next to the main pillar No. 943 at midnight. At that time, BSF members of Shewti-1 camp in India gave chase after seeing them and they tried to cross the river hurriedly.At one stage, they went missing due to the strong current in the river. However, his wife managed to swim ashore, he added.Mecher, a UP member of Ward 4 of Newashi Union in Nageshwari Upazila, said he came to Kashipur BGB camp to bring back the bodies from India.
Floods wash away crops and hopes in Kurigram
Farmers in Kurigram have been hugely hit, with the recent floods wrecking havoc on their crops.
Agriculture is one of the mainstays of Bangladesh's booming economy, but the devastation to crops in the northern district has put the livelihoods of many farmers on the brink.
In fact, the losses in the agriculture sector caused by the floods in Kurigram has been estimated at a whopping Tk 127.54 crore, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
According to the DAE, a total of 80,035 cultivators have been affected by the floods, with 15,851 hectares of cropland in the district being partially or fully destroyed in the natural calamity.
This season, the farmers of the district cultivated 34,310 hectares of agricultural land. But due to the flash floods and heavy downpour, around 15,851 hectares have been inundated. Of these, 7,351 hectares have been damaged fully during the fortnight-long floods.
Read Also: Thousands still marooned by floods in Savar
Apart from this, around 8,427 hectares of cropland have been damaged partially by the floodwaters. As a result, the production of a total of 35,055 metric tonnes of crops has been affected, which is 25.57% of the total crops.
The Aush paddy and jute have been affected the most, followed by vegetables.
Floodwaters have damaged 9,521 hectares of cultivated jute land of a total of 16,577 hectares, 3,580 hectares of Aush paddy of a total of 8,480 hectares, and 1,161 hectares of vegetables of 4,034 hectares of cultivated land in Kurigram.
Read Also: Food, work shortage hits Kurigram flood victims hard
The damaged crops in the district include Aman seedbed, jute, Aush paddy, sesame, vegetables, peanuts, banana, corn, chili, ginger, turmeric, onion, sugarcane and lentil.
Shamsul Alam, a vegetable grower of Chararpar village under Kurigram sadar upazila, said, “I invested Tk 50,000 from my own pocket and borrowed Tk 30,000 from an NGO. Also, I borrowed Tk 20,000 from a local lender at a high rate of interest. I have suffered huge losses."
Another farmer, Jabbar Ali of the same village, said, “We hoped to make big bucks this year. But the flash floods washed away our dreams.”
Contacted, Md Abdur Rashid, deputy director of Kurigram DEA, said, “We have informed the higher authorities after estimating the losses. The affected farmers will be brought under incentive packages."
"We have already received an allocation to bring 7,000 farmers under incentives which will help them recover some amount of losses," he added.
Flood-hit Kurigram needs comprehensive support to overcome added challenges
Floodwater in Kurigram is receding but on the way it revealed several critical problems for the vulnerable population here as thousands of people have lost the means of living a dignified life.
Plan International Bangladesh, an international development organization, emphasized the need for comprehensive support for the adversely affected population.
Josna, a young woman from Nageswari, found her house submerged in flood water which left her life in uncertainty.
“This single flood has turned our daily life upside down. Wherever I look, there’s nothing except floodwater. My family is suffering from food shortage, but there are other challenges for me too. How would I maintain my menstrual hygiene? “ said Josna.
Also read: Sirajganj’s flood situation improves, people’s sufferings continue
To stand beside people like Josna, Plan International Bangladesh has distributed food and non-food items among the flood-affected families in Kachakata and Ballaberkhash unions of Nageswari Upazila of Kurigram district. The response focuses on the needs of young women and girls.
Some 5560 packets of dry food, 1,00,000 water purification tablets, 1840 Non-Food Items (NFI), and 1820 Menstrual Health Management (MHM) kits have been distributed during the first phase of the response.
Morjina, another young woman from Nageswari, shared, “As we don’t have any options to cook food receiving dry food is a great relief for us. The menstrual hygiene kits are also essential, as we cannot even share this problem with others in this crisis.”
Mahidev Jubo Somaj Kallayan Somity is supporting Plan International Bangladesh as a partner in implementing this response.
Ashik Billah, Head of Central & Northern Region of Plan International Bangladesh, Shahadat Hossain Chairman of Kachakata Union Parishad, and SM Abdur Razzak, Chairman of Ballaberkash Union Parishad, were present at the distribution point.
“From media reports, we know that around 2 lakh people in Kurigram have become homeless due to this flood. Plan International Bangladesh has been the first responder in Nageswari since the flood hit the community. However, we cannot ensure the protection of the entire community by ourselves. We all need to come forward in a joint effort”, said Ashik Billah.
Also read: Flood Water receding, but not the diseases, food, and water crisis
“Children are getting sick due to water-borne diseases. The sufferings of pregnant women and new mothers are beyond our imagination. Strengthened health facilities have become a crying need now”, he added.
Plan International Bangladesh pledges to continue responding to this area, focusing on child protection, gender-based violence, and education along with the needs of girls and young women.
Flood situation improves in Kurigram
Water levels in the flood-hit Kurigram district have started receding, officials said on Friday.
While the Teesta and the Dharla are flowing below the danger mark, the Brahmaputra is still flowing at 5cm above the red level at Chilmari point, according to the Kurigram Water Development Board.
With floodwaters receding, the miseries of the residents of the char areas in the district have increased.
Read: A week on, flood-hit people of Kurigram cry for relief
According to district administration sources, 328 educational institutions have been shut for a week due to the ongoing floods.
Besides, crops on 15,800 hectares of land have been damaged due to the floods.
In many areas, the flood survivors are crying for relief. Apart from facing food crisis, they need pure drinking water, fuel and fodder.
Many in remote areas have complained of not getting relief. People's representatives said it was not possible to reach everyone as relief was not commensurate with the demand.
Read: Sufferings rise in flood-hit Kurigram
Sadar Upazila Panchgachhi UP chairman Abdul Baten said that at least 5,000 poor families in his union were affected by the floods, "but so far, they have got nine metric tonnes of rice as relief. “Only 900 families can be provided with 10 kgs of rice.”
However, Kurigram deputy commissioner Mohammad Rezaul Karim claimed there was adequate relief for the flood survivors. "Everyone will get relief in phases."
Brahmaputra, Dharla keep swelling; More areas submerged in Kurigram, Gaibandha
The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at different points in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, inundating different low-lying and char areas Monday morning.
The Brahmaputra was flowing 51 cm above the danger level at Chilmari point of Kurigram and 4 cm above the danger level in Gaibandha town in the morning, said Water Development Board.
Also read: Lakhs marooned in 3 districts as rivers flow above danger mark
Besides, the Dharla River at the bridge point in Kurigram was flowing at 44 cm above the danger level.
In Kurigram, about 2,50,000 people of more than 200 chars in 49 unions have been marooned. Rowmari upazila is the worst-hit area as one lakh people have been stranded there in floodwater.
1 lakh stranded as flood situation worsens further in Kurigram
Flood situation in Kurigram district worsened further due to the swelling of major rivers caused by onrush of water from upstream and incessant rainfall, rendering one lakh people marooned.
According to the local Water Development Board, the Dharla River was flowing 22 cm above its danger level at Setu point while the Brahmmaputra River was flowing 22 cm above its red amrk at Chilmari point at 6 am on Saturday.
Besides, Teesta river water also increased at many point due to continuous rains.
The low-lying areas and char areas of Kurigram Sadar, Ulipur, Phulbari, Nagershwari, Bhurungamari and Chilmari upazilas went under water while nearly 100 educational institutions have been closed due to flood.
River erosion at 30 points of the district has taken serious turn and 20 educational institutions and many houses are facing erosion threat.
READ: 50,000 people marooned by flood in parts of Kurigram
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, 6,000 hectares of land have been inundated and 150 fish enclosures were washed away by the flood.
Besides, many roads were submerged in nine upazilas of the district, snapping road communication.
Many people have taken shelter in high places including roads and embankments as flood water enters their dwelling houses.
Thousands of people in flood-hit areas are suffering from a shortage of food and drinking water for the last couple of days.