Recent flooding causes losses of over Tk 600m in Dumuria fisheries sectors

KHULNA, Sep 23 (UNB): The recent flooding caused by the heavy rainfall have caused damages of over Tk 600 million (60 crore) in the fisheries sector in Khulna's Dumuria upazila, considered a hub of producing fish in the southern region of the country.

Two-hundrded and twenty-six villages under 14 unions of the upazila have been submerged in the recent flooding, causing immense loss of the fish farmer. The upazila experienced excessive rainfall for five days of the past week.

Officials involved with the fisheries informed that the upazila plays a vital role in fulfilling a good portion of Khulna's fish demand, with around 28,574 fish farmers engaging in aquaculture, primarily cultivating shrimp and carp.

Meeting local demand, the fish is exported abroad which earns foreign currency.

According to the Upazila Fisheries Office, the upazila boasts 26,570 fish farms across 18,340 hectares, alongside 5,630 ponds, yielding some 28,690 metric tonnes of fish annually-18,200 metric tonnes of white fish and 10,490 metric tonnes of shrimp. The estimated market value of this production is over Tk 14.73 billion (1473.80 crore).

Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique, senior fisheries officer, said that continuous heavy rain has severely affected Dumuria, submerging a total of 12,530 fish farms and ponds.

An estimated 3,560 metric tonnes of white fish, worth around Tk 71.2 million (7.12 crore), have been lost. Additionally, 4,670 metric tonnes of shrimp, worth Tk 467 million (46.7 crore), were swept away, along with 7.5 metric tonnes of crabs, valued at around Tk 7.5 million (75 lakh). Overall, the structural damage to the fisheries sector from flooding is estimated at Tk 55 million (5.5 crore), leading to a total loss of Tk 600.7 million (60.07 crore), he said.

The fisheries officer informed that this is not the first instance of significant losses in the fisheries sector due to natural disasters; Cyclone Remal previously caused around Tk 300 million (30 crore) in damages as numerous fish farms were submerged and millions in shrimp and fish were lost.

The Fisheries Depart-ment has begun compiling a list of losses based on assessments gathered from union council chairmen. Ongoing efforts are underway to determine the full extent of damages in the second phase of the assessment.