Renewed waterlogging hits Bhabadaha region after heavy downpour

Continuous heavy rainfall has once again left the Bhabadaha region of Jashore waterlogged, inundating hundreds of fish enclosures and agricultural land and reviving fears of a prolonged drainage crisis.
According to the Abhaynagar Upazila Fisheries Office, 220 fish enclosures covering about 503 hectares have been flooded following the recent downpours, with estimated losses of around Tk170 million.
Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Lipton Sardar said many enclosure embankments had gone underwater due to excessive rainfall. "If water levels continue to rise, fish may escape from the enclosures, causing further losses," he said. The Upazila Agriculture Office said at least 37 hectares of farmland have been affected by waterlogging. Agriculture Officer Lovely Khatun said Aman paddy seedbeds in Payra, Challishia, Sridharpur, Siddhipasha and Prembagh unions have been damaged, posing a threat to this season's cultivation.
A recent visit to the area found most fish enclosure embankments have been submerged, with farmers hurriedly installing raised nets and bamboo barriers to prevent fish from escaping. In Sujatpur village of Monirampur upazila, floodwater has entered household yards, while vegetables grown on enclosure embankments have also been damaged.
Residents said several days of continuous rain had filled nearby beels and canals, causing water to overflow into fish enclosures. They fear further rainfall could worsen the situation.
Fish farmer Roni Mondal of Mashiyahati village said he had purchased protective nets in advance but could not install them before water levels rose rapidly. He also alleged that traders had increased the prices of the nets.
Chaitanya Kumar Pal, member secretary of the Bhabadaha Water Drainage Movement Committee, said the situation could become more severe than previous years as drainage obstacles remain unresolved despite river dredging.
He said renovation of the Amdanga canal, considered Bhabadaha’s second drainage route, has yet to begin, while insufficient water is being discharged through existing embankment outlets.
The committee's chief adviser, Iqbal Kabir Jahid, urged the authorities to immediately start the Amdanga canal restoration project, keep all sluice gates fully operational and introduce a Tidal River Management (TRM) project in a suitable upstream beel to prevent the waterlogging crisis from worsening.
Waterlogging has become a recurring problem in the Bhabadaha region during the monsoon, with agriculture and fisheries—the area's main sources of livelihood—bearing the brunt of the losses.