Pre-monsoon floods wipe out Boro rice harvests in Bangladesh’s haor wetlands

On a raised rural road cutting through Bangladesh’s haor wetlands, 70-year-old farmer Firoz Khandaker sat surrounded by his family, spreading out freshly harvested but water-soaked rice to dry in the sun. Around him, water stretched endlessly across submerged fields, an image that captured the scale of this year’s agricultural disaster in the country’s north-eastern floodplain.

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Struggling to hold back tears, Khandaker told FairPlanet on 9 May 2026 in Austagram Upazila that a 'continuous spell of wind, storms, and rain destroyed almost all my paddy fields.' Pointing toward the horizon where his land lay underwater, he added, 'You can see my field over there. Everything is underwater. I managed to harvest a little, but most of it is gone. I feel like crying, but I cannot cry in front of others.'

Khandaker, from Austagram Upazila in Kishoreganj District, said he cultivated nearly seven acres of Boro rice this season but could save less than two acres. 'Even my father and grandfather used to farm, but I have never seen losses like this before,' he told FairPlanet.

A vital but vulnerable rice system

Bangladesh’s northeastern haor region is one of the country’s most important agricultural wetland systems, spanning Sylhet Division and surrounding districts, including Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, and Brahmanbaria. The landscape is made up of more than 370 large bowl-shaped flood basins, locally known as haors, that transform into vast inland seas during the monsoon and then into fertile farmland in the dry season.

Boro rice, the country’s main dry-season crop, is transplanted between December and January and harvested between April and May. It is heavily dependent on irrigation and fertiliser use and accounts for roughly 55 per cent of Bangladesh’s total annual rice production. A significant portion of this output comes from the haor region, making it central to national food security.

But this highly productive system is increasingly exposed to climate-linked risks such as changes in extreme rainfall. Professor Mohammad Sofi Ullah, from the Dhaka University’s Department of Geography & Environment, told FairPlanet that this year, unseasonal heavy rainfall combined with upstream water flows submerged vast areas of mature Boro fields before harvesting could take place.

Preliminary data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) indicates that more than 49,000 hectares of farmland were damaged across seven haor districts. Around 213,000 tonnes of rice were reportedly lost, affecting more than 236,000 farmers. 

'Harvesting rice in knee-deep water'

Farmer Rajon Das, from the Kishoreganj region, told FairPlanet that he had cultivated five acres of land this year, from which nearly four acres were submerged – a loss affecting him severely, as he had borrowed around 150,000 taka (USD 1,300) from local moneylenders to finance the cultivation of this farmland. 'Almost all our rice fields were flooded. The one acre we managed to harvest had to be cut while standing in water, using boats with my wife and children,' he said, adding that most farmers in his village relied on loans to cultivate, and nearly all had suffered similar losses: 'Around 2,000 farmers in our village are in the same situation.' This figure could not be independently verified.

Machines could not enter flooded fields

According to Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Sylhet, excessive water levels made mechanised harvesting impossible.

'Normally, machines can operate when water is up to 8 inches (approximately 20 cm). Beyond that, they cannot function. This year, in most areas, water levels were above 8 inches, around 10 to 12 inches in many places,' he told FairPlanet. 

Authorities are now promoting short-duration rice varieties to help farmers to reduce future losses from increasingly unpredictable weather, Shamsuzzaman told FairPlanet, adding that varieties – such as BRRI dhan 88, or BRRI dhan 100 – mature earlier than traditional Boro varieties, allowing farmers to harvest before the peak period of flash floods and heavy rainfall.

Flash flood risk is increasing

Professor Ullah told FairPlanet that the haor region is extremely vulnerable due to its unique topography: 'The water flow in the haor region is largely dependent on heavy rainfall in the Meghalaya and Assam regions. Because of the steep slopes there, water flows very quickly toward Bangladesh, and within a few hours, large areas become submerged,' he said, adding that flash floods typically occur between March and May. 

He also noted that rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable. 'Climate change is making the flash flood problem more complex and severe,' he said. Further, he noted that ‘long-term rainfall trends would not show dramatic increases in total volume, but extreme short-duration rainfall events would become more frequent.’

According to Professor Ullah, improved early warning systems could significantly reduce losses. 'By using satellite data, Numerical Weather Prediction models, and hydrological analysis, it is possible to forecast heavy rainfall and flood events two to three days in advance. If farmers receive timely warnings, they can harvest crops before damage occurs,' he said.

Growing long-term threat to food security

The haor region remains a cornerstone of national rice production, yet farmers continue to lose their primary crop almost every year due to unseasonal rain, flash floods, upstream water flow, and weak infrastructure.

'Agriculture in the haor region depends almost entirely on Boro rice. When floods hit just before harvest, farmers lose their only crop of the year. This not only reduces food production but also destroys their financial stability. Many farmers fall into debt and struggle to continue farming in the next season,' Professor Ullah told FairPlanet. The crisis in the haor region, however, is not merely a local agricultural issue, but directly linked to national food security and rural economies. 

The national government announced support measures for affected farmers in the haor region, including food assistance for three months. Additionally, the government pledged financial assistance for farmers who lost crops. Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid said affected farmers would receive a minimum of Tk 7,000–7,500 (around USD 60), with larger payments possible depending on the extent of losses.

Some non-governmental organisations also began livelihood support initiatives in affected areas. For example, the Bidyanondo Foundation has distributed income-generating assets, including livestock, vans, sewing machines, and small business supplies, to vulnerable families as part of recovery efforts.

However, none of these measures address the underlying structural problem, which is set to become even more acute. 'If the frequency and intensity of such floods continue to increase due to climate change, the national impact will be significant,' Professor Ullah said.