In mid of April, the dam collapsed due to tidal flow which causes the early flood in Haor area of Kishoreganj, and most of the paddy land was damaged. As a result, farmers lose their only crop of the year. They are passing their life with the burden of loans which they get against the harvest. Farmers of Itna, Mithamoin, Ashtagram, Nikoli, and Tarail Upazila of the district have been the worst affected this year. The farmers of these five Upazilas received loans of about 400 crores from different banks, NGOs, and the moneylenders. Farmers in haor areas are unable to understand how they will repay the loan. Almost every year the peasants of Haor areas are victims of such disasters. The water came earlier this year so they could not collect the crops.
After the flood, government banks, NGOs, were forbidden to collect the agricultural loans. But NGOs are not following the instructions. Almost every day, NGO officials are creating pressure on farmers for payment to go to villages. The moneylenders are making the pressure most for the money. Some farmers are giving some part of their land while repaying the moneylenders lent money. In many cities, farmers have run away searching for jobs and avoiding debt pressures.
Kishoreganj Agriculture Extension Deputy Director Mr. Shafiqul Islam said that the government has taken a package program so that all the farmers affected in the Haor area can do Boro cultivation (a kind of paddy which is harvested in April) in the next season. Every farmer will be provided free of all the farming material including fertilizers, seeds, pesticides. This process will start when the Haor water is reduced. We have a list of all the affected farmers. Harvesting farmers wanted an opportunity to catch fish freely in the river. But there is no chance to do that. All the water lands are in the grab of leaseholders. There the farmers or fishermen have no right to fishing. Moreover, after the disaster, the leaseholders are behaving more rigorously to the farmers.
Chongnoagaon, a village in Sutarpara union of Karimganj Upazila of Kishoreganj district is in that Haor area. The river ‘Dhanu’ has passed by the village. There are only a few families of farmers in that village. They are helpless too. Besides the Haor paddy farming, the people used to manage their livelihood by catching fish in the river but they have no work now. There is no way to catch fish to eat. In this case, they are facing the threat of the leaseholders.