S DILIP ROY

Vast low-lying areas across Rangpur, including mature Boro paddy and maize fields across its five districts, have been inundated after the last five days of continuous rainfall.

At the same time, water levels in at least 26 rivers -- including the Brahmaputra, Teesta and Dharla -- are rising. While none have crossed the danger mark, officials have warned that continued rain and upstream water descending could trigger an early flood.

Since Saturday, persistent rain has severely disrupted harvesting, forcing farmers to hire labour at higher wages to salvage ripened paddy and ready-to-harvest maize from submerged fields.

In many areas, farmers are harvesting crops while standing in water, while others worry they will be unable to dry produce due to a lack of sunshine.

Mostafizur Rahman, in charge of the Rangpur Weather Office, said the region has been receiving an average of around 120 millimetres of rain daily since Saturday.

This marks a sharp rise in rainfall compared to last year’s 7.5 millimetres during the same period (April 20–30), underscoring an unusually intense weather pattern with growing risks for agriculture and flooding in the northern region.

Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of the Water Development Board in Kurigram, said that further rainfall, combined with upstream runoff, could trigger sudden flooding in riverbank areas. He warned that char lands and croplands that recently emerged from riverbeds are already waterlogged.

Shaykhul Arifin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Lalmonirhat, said waterlogging is preventing harvesting in several low-lying areas, raising concerns over crop quality deterioration.

Nazar Ali, 65, of Lalmonirhat’s Aditmari upazila, said his eight bighas of ripe Boro paddy are submerged. “I am harvesting with hired labour at double the usual cost. If I wait, the crop will be ruined,” he said.

Abdus Samad, 70, of Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila, said paddy on six bighas and maize on 10 bighas are under water. “Even if I harvest, I cannot dry them due to the rain. I don’t know what to do,” he said.

In Rangpur’s Kaunia upazila, farmer Shamsul Alam said harvested maize and paddy are now piled up at home but cannot be threshed due to continuous rain, raising fears of spoilage.

Khadimul Islam, 50, of Kurigram Sadar, said char lands that were dry on Monday were submerged by Wednesday morning. “Much of the paddy is still unripe. If the water rises further, losses will be heavy,” he said.

Agricultural labourer Shah Jamal, 48, of Rangpur’s Gangachara upazila, said working in inundated fields has slowed harvesting and pushed up wages, while persistent rain has made fieldwork increasingly difficult.

The Department of Agricultural Extension claimed Boro paddy has been cultivated on 5,09,095 hectares and maize on 1,27,230 hectares across Rangpur’s five districts -- Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Nilphamari. Maize harvesting is in full swing, while Boro harvesting has begun in low-lying areas.

Officials and farmers alike fear that if rainfall continues and sunshine does not return soon, both standing and harvested crops could suffer significant damage, with wider implications for the region’s agricultural economy.