The recent flood has dealt a heavy blow to fish farmers in Akhaura upazila of Brahmanbaria. The floodwaters washed away fish from ponds in numerous fish farms across the upazila, leaving farmers facing heavy losses.
Ibrahim Miah, a fish farmer from Rahimpur village in the upazila, is one of them. “Fish from 33 ponds on our farm were washed away. It is now uncertain how I can possibly make a comeback after being hit hard by the flood. There has not been any compensation or assistance yet,” he said.
Sohag Miah, another fish farmer from Sahebnagar village, echoed his concerns. “All the fish from my seven ponds were washed away, causing a loss of Tk 20 lakh. I had invested in fish farming after borrowing from a bank. How am I going to repay the loan now?” he said.
Both Ibrahim and Sohag have sought government support to recover their losses. The flood inundated 34 villages in the upazila, washing away fish from nearly 400 ponds and waterbodies, causing an estimated loss of Tk 12 crore, according to sources at the Akhaura Upazila Fisheries Office.
When contacted, Rounak Jahan, the senior fisheries officer in the upazila, said, “A list of the affected fish farmers has been sent to the higher authorities of the fisheries department. We have also submitted proposals to provide carp fish fry and fish feed free of charge to the affected farmers, as well as loans on soft terms.” “If the proposal is approved, the farmers will receive assistance to help them recover from the losses incurred,” he added.