Sachchida Nanda Dey, Ashashuni (Satkhira) 

Continuous torrential rainfall over the past seven days has led to severe waterlogging across Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira. Most areas of the upazila’s 11 unions are now inundated, affecting human settlements, shrimp farms, and vegetable fields, causing extensive damage.

 The embankments maintained by the Water Development Board are now under serious threat.Low-lying homes, kitchens, cattle sheds, and even tube wells have gone underwater. Sanitation and transportation systems have collapsed, and a severe shortage of safe drinking water has emerged. 

The crisis has plunged the lives and livelihoods of residents into extreme distress.The worst-affected unions include Budhata, Kulla, Dargahpur, Kadakati, Ashashuni Sadar, Shreeula, Khajra, Anulia, Pratapnagar, Bardal, and Shovonali. Houses and roads in these areas remain submerged.

 Many shrimp farm embankments have either collapsed or been overtopped, placing aquaculture in jeopardy. In fear of losing their fish, desperate farm owners are placing nets over the embankments to retain what they can.

Explaining the causes, Advocate Shahidul Islam from Budhata said, “Due to the incomplete dredging of the Betna River and a dam built near Chapra which obstructs its natural flow, rainwater is unable to drain into the river. This is causing widespread flooding in surrounding areas.” He also noted that shrimp farms have blocked natural canals in several places, exacerbating the waterlogging.On local solutions, Jamaat leader Maulana Mosharraf Hossain stated, “Initiatives will be taken to excavate specific canals to drain water from the Budhata wetlands. If the water from the shrimp farms can be redirected via canals to the Morichchap River, the waterlogging will be reduced.”Civil society leader and lecturer Yahia Iqbal emphasized, “For a long-term solution, it is essential to remove net barriers beside shrimp enclosures, dredge canals and rivers according to old maps, repair damaged sluice gates, and prevent corruption in excavation projects.”Upazila Fisheries Officer Satyajit Majumder confirmed, “Most shrimp enclosures are at risk.

 Many have already gone underwater. Owners are making every effort to save their fish.”Upazila Nirbahi Officer Krishna Roy informed that she has visited the most vulnerable embankments and is in constant coordination with the Water Development Board and district administration. She said, “As dredging and culvert construction in the Betna and Morichchap rivers and local canals are underway, drainage is temporarily hampered. However, the administration is doing its utmost to address the crisis.”