The ongoing floods have caused extensive damage to cultivation of fishes, especially shrimp, in Satkhira district that contributes greatly to foreign exchange earning from fish export.
According to official sources, fishes worth over Tk 194 crore 7 lakh have been washed away by floodwater in the district while unofficial sources said the loss would be over Tk 215 crore.
The estimated loss may rise further when correct assessment will be made after recession of floodwaters.
Floods have washed away most of the shrimp enclosures, hatcheries, canals, creeks and ponds in Tala, Shyamnagar, Assassuni, Debhata, Kalaroa, Kaliganj and Sadar upazilas, said sources of district fisheries department.
Floods have washed away around 3400 shrimp enclosures covering 58,306 acres of lands and 8,539 freshwater fish farms, ponds, hatcheries, tanks, creeks and canals in the district, Satkhira District Fish Traders Association sources said.
The worst affected upazilas are Tala, Sadar, Assassuni and Shyamnagar upazilas.
According to preliminary estimate, shrimp worth Tk 144 crore 36 lakh 80 thousands from shrimp enclosures, shrimp fry worth Tk 1 crore, 75 lakh 80 thousand from hatcheries and white fish worth Tk 36 crore 65 lakh 50 thousand have been washed away. Floods have caused infrastructure loss worth Tk 11 crore 30 lakh, sources said.
When asked, several shrimp traders told this correspondent that fishes and shrimp died due to eating rotten things and bad odour in the water.
"The deluge has made fish traders in Satkhira district economically crippled. It will be difficult for them to repay the huge bank loans that they took for fish cultivation. Foreign exchange earning from fish export will be badly affected due to the situation," said Khairul Mozaffar Montu, a renowned shrimp farmer and trader.
On contact, Abdul Wadood, acting district fisheries officer of Satkhira, confirmed the situation.
Source : The Daily Star
