The fish cultivators in different areas in Rangpur division are facing massive loss as fishes of ponds and other water bodies have been washed away by floodwater. The loss would be around Tk 3.0 billion, said fishery officials and affected fish farmers across the region. Sources said varieties of fishes including ruhi, mrigel, katla, silver carp and telapia have been washed away from ponds. The most affected districts are Dinajpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Rangpur. “Flood washed away the region’s one of the largest fish farms Sukh Sagor, covering a vast area of around 40 acres in Dinajpur.” said fish cultivator Azam Khan who leased the farm and cultivated fishes in the water body. Fishes worth Tk 20 million were washed away from his farm. He is unable to recoup the massive losses, he added. Ahsanul Kabir, another affected fish farmer of Barobari village at Alambiditor union under Gangachara upazila, said fishes of his three ponds were washed away by the floodwater from the river Teesta last week. He could not succeed to save the fishes from being perished by flood, though he tried his utmost. The loss would be over Tk 0.9 million, he further said. Some affected fish cultivators said owing to shortage of capital they were compelled to take loan on high interest rate from money lenders and local NGOs for cultivating fish. But now they are worried about repaying their loan as all of their cultivated fishes have been washed away by recent flood water, they added. Fisheries Department of Rangpur divisional office said at least 90,000 ponds and fish farms under the division have been inundated due to flood water, caused by heavy downpour and onrush of water from upstream. As a result fish farmers are incurring massive losses. Flood may have an adverse impact on fish supply to the region, sources added. Our correspondent from Gaibandha adds: Fishes worth about Tk 35 million in 2,285 ponds have been washed away due to the current flood triggered by hilly waters from the upstream. According to sources the officials of fisheries department motivated the farmers here for fish farming on the ponds and other waterbodies to meet the demand of protein and help change their socio-economic condition gradually. In response, many of the farmers of all the seven upazilas in the district released fingerlings of carp species fishes on their ponds and waterbodies to get desired output against the farming. The officials of the fisheries department were proving technological support to the farmers to make the fish culture a grand success to attain the cherished goal, said an official. But, the current flood in the Brahmaputra river basin of Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata upazilas, the Karotoa river basin of Palashbari and Gobindaganj upazila and the Ghagot river basin of Sadullapur upazila smashed the hopes and aspiration of the farmers as the carp fishes like Rui, Katla, Mrigel, Bata Musa and Monosex Telapia had been washed away from their ponds. M. Shantanu Kumar Deb, a fish farmer of Nasai-Kosai village under Fulbari union of Gobindaganj upazila, said fishes of different species worth about 8 lakh had been washed away from his pond during the current flood. All the affected farmers of the upazilas are in trouble and anxiety for washing away fishes from the ponds due to flood. They are facing a huge amount of losses economically, he also said. The farmers who were engaged in fish farming taking loan from the commercial banks are in miserable condition as they will not be able to pay loan for washing away the fish from their ponds, he added. Abdud Dayan, district fisheries officer, said the affected farmers were being given suggestions side by side with distributing leaflets to them about the flood. The amount of losses in the fisheries sector due to flood might be increased and for this, most of the farmers had been affected economically seriously, he also said. In reply to a query, DFO said a list of the affected farmers of the upazilas was also being prepared and it would be sent to the higher authorities concerned for taking necessary measures for the losers.