Kushtia, the district of the western part of the country, has experienced unprecedented rainfall over the past two days, with 241 millimetres of rain recorded in just 48 hours, causing widespread public distress.
The downpour, driven by a low-pressure system, started with light drizzle on Friday night, gradually intensifying into heavy rainfall by Saturday evening. The highest rainfall recorded within a single 24-hour period was 128 mm, from Sunday noon to Monday noon, marking the most substantial downpour in both this year and the last five years, reports UNB.
Md. Al Amin, an observer from the Kumarkhali Weather Observation Centre, confirmed the figures, noting that the previous records for annual rainfall in Kushtia were significantly lower.
"Before this, 79 mm of rain was recorded in 2018, 44 mm in 2019, 49 mm in 2020, 105 mm in June 2021, 64 mm in 2022, and 75 mm in 2023," he said. Despite the deluge, the weather began clearing by Tuesday morning, with the sun breaking through the clouds.
The heavy rains, however, have caused serious disruptions across the region, especially for students, office workers, and those in lower and middle-income groups. Many farmers have seen their fields submerged in water, with ponds overflowing, homes collapsing, and trees falling due to the stormy weather. The roads in key areas such as Kushtia General Hospital, the court premises, T&T Office, Courtpara, Pearatala, Eidgahpara Kalishankarpur, and Gorosthanpara are now covered with knee-deep water. Many homes have also been inundated.
In various villages of the Joduboyra, Panti, Chandpur, Sadki, and Jagannathpur unions, as well as several parts of the Kumarkhali Municipality, knee-deep waterlogging has affected day-to-day life.
Local farmer Sujan Ali Palash, who owns a 22-bigha fish pond in Sadki Union’s Gorermath area, reported heavy losses. "I was expecting to sell fish worth nearly 3 million taka in two months, but the continuous rain has caused my pond to overflow. My gourd and ridge gourd vegetables are ruined. I’ve lost around 1.5 million taka in total," he lamented.
The region’s cattle market has also been disrupted, with market member Md. Abdul Goni stated that only two cows were brought to the market last Sunday, neither of which were sold. The impact of the heavy rains and gusty winds has been widely felt across Kushtia’s agriculture sector.
According to Upazila Agriculture Officer Debashish Kumar Das, the weather has caused partial damage to 50 hectares of transplanted aman paddy, 30 hectares of black gram, 60 hectares of vegetables, and 60 hectares of banana plantations.
While the damage is significant, Upazila Executive Officer SM Mikail Islam reassured that no major destruction has been reported. "Some trees and homes have collapsed due to the heavy rain, but the main issue is extensive waterlogging in agricultural fields. Efforts are underway to drain the water," he said.
Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
