BHALUKA, MYMENSINGH, Oct 10: Over 300 fish farms were washed away due to upstream tide in Bhaluka Upazila of the district.
The tide appeared because of heavy rainfall for the last several days in the upazila.
According to sources at the Department of Fisheries-Bhaluka, low-lying areas in different villages of the upazila were flooded. The fisheries damages have primarily been estimated at about Tk 50 crore.
During a visit on Sunday to Bairpathar Village at Birunia Union, a number of victim fish growers said, they have been all lost.
Tozammel Haq Sumon and Abdus Samad said, they took lease of 50-acre land in the Monapathar Beel from 62 farmers at an annual rent of Tk 22.50 lakh for a 14-year term.
Over the last five/six years, they were seeing face of profits. But the dam of their farm got broken on Friday night, after being hit by the tide. Fishes including pangas, ruhi, carp and mrigel worth about Tk 10 crore were floated away.
"We have been all lost. We purchased feed of Tk 4 crore in credit from Biswas Fish Feed Company. The due was supposed to be paid after sales of fishes. Now how will we pay the due?" they added.
Submergence of fish farms was reported in Birunia, Medila, Ashka, Rajoi, Hobirbari, Goari, Paanibhanda, Panchgaon, Sotenga, Rangchapra, and Kathali areas.
A fish farmer in the Bhulaka Municipality area Nurul Islam said, fishes of about Tk 30,000 got floated away from his 20-acre farm.
Alamin, Muktar Ali, Ayub Ali, Ramzan Ali and others of Kongsherkul Village reported fish floating from their fisheries.
Victim fish farmers demanded incentives for sustaining their damage.
Bhaluka Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md Saidur Rahman said, about 2,000 tonnes of fishes were washed away from more than 300 farms on 800 ha land in different villages in the upazila. The economic damages have been estimated at about Tk 50 crore, he added.
He further said, he inspected damaged fisheries in different villages on Friday morning.
