Fish farmers made unemployed by monsoon flooding across the northern districts of the country in early August are in dire need of assistance from the government to recoup their losses. More than 102,000 fish cultivators in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions faced combined losses of Tk773 crore while around 140,000 fish farms and ponds were washed away in the floodwaters. Although the government has taken initiatives for relief distribution and other supportive programmes for the flood victims, the fish farmers have yet to receive any governmental assistance despite their miserable conditions. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Abdul Majid, a fish farmer in Pachgachhi union of Kurigram, said: I have become a street beggar overnight as the floodwaters washed away my farms where I had invested Tk4 lakh. Abdul said he had not received even a modicum of assistance from the government despite the support provided to flood victims and farmers. I am struggling every day to feed my family. I do not know how to get rid of this hardship, he said. According to the Department of Fisheries, at least 6,880 fish cultivators in Sylhet division faced a loss of Tk46 crore as 11,155 ponds and farms were washed away, while in Mymensingh, 15,208 fish farmers incurred a loss of over Tk95 crore with 20,996 ponds and farms going under water. In Rajshahi division, 4,401 farmers have been affected as 6,321 ponds and farms were submerged, causing a loss of almost Tk76 crore. In Khulna, 11,552 fish cultivators incurred a loss of over Tk224 crore, while 12,084 ponds and farms were totally washed away. Fish farmers in Rangpur division are the worst hit after 99,577 ponds and farms were inundated, affecting 64,252 cultivators and producing combined losses of Tk332 crore. Shafikul Islam, a flooding victim in Lalmonirhat, now drives an auto-rickshaw in the district’s Burimari area after all the fish in his farm were lost. Fish farming had become very popular among people in the northern districts as it was a profitable business, he said. Many people had been engaged in this profession with loans from banks and local lenders but most of them are currently working as day labourers and living only on rice and salt. Shafikul added that he could save nothing except his family and domestic animals during the devastating floods. The fishing sector has suffered a serious blow this time as the entire village turned into a river and fisheries were washed away. I had invested Tk5 lakh in fish farming, and it is next to impossible for me to recover the losses I incurred, he said. Md Omar Ali, another affected fish farmer in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari, said he had received only Tk1,000 and 30kg rice in relief from the government, adding that he had not received any support to recoup his losses. There is nothing left in my pockets as I encountered a huge loss. We are surviving in a dire condition with small amounts of relief materials from government and non-government organisations, he said. The fisheries department has claimed it advised the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to take measures to help the flood-hit fish cultivators pull through their hard times. However, no decision has yet been made in this connection although a few initiatives were taken for people affected by the deluge in haor areas. Currently, there are no incentive programmes for flood-hit fish cultivators, Deputy Director of Aquaculture Dr Gulzar Hossain conceded. We have, however, submitted a proposal to the ministry concerned to initiate incentive programmes for the farmers so the sector can revive. The department will start working towards ameliorating their conditions once the proposal is approved.