A loss of Tk 200cr in livestock, poultry
Rearing cattle has always been easy for the people of haor areas in the country's northeastern region due to ample supply of natural fodder like grass.
But the situation has changed this year.
Grazing land in 34 upazilas of four northeastern districts -- Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sunamganj -- have been submerged by floodwater.
The recent flood caused a loss of over Tk 200 crore in livestock and poultry sector in this region, according to Sylhet Divisional Livestock Office.
Thousands of people took shelter in flood centres, while others kept searching for high-ground with their cattle.
Sanat Saha, a resident of Baramaidan village in Moulvibazar's Barlekha upazila, has been rearing four cows for the last eight months, ardently waiting to reap the profits in the forthcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
When his house went under floodwater, he along with his five family members and four cows took shelter on a nearby road.
"The fodder stored in our house has been damaged completely. Our grazing lands have also submerged. I've been struggling since last week to arrange fodder for my cattle," he said.
Like him, thousands of the region's people are passing their days in fear of losing their cattle through starvation.
"We're in deep trouble as we're not being able to arrange fodder for our cattle. We're not sure, how long our cattle will survive in such a situation," said Sarada Biswas, a resident of the same village, who took shelter on a nearby bridge with her cow.
Meanwhile, many families have already lost their cattle due to the floods.
"I was rearing three cows with the aim to sell them ahead of Eid. When our house was inundated, we shifted to a safe place for our survival. But I couldn't save some of my cattle, as two of my cows drowned. Now, I'm struggling hard to arrange fodder for my only cow," said Emon Miah, a resident of Bhukshimoil area in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila.
According to Sylhet Divisional Livestock Office data, at least 11 cows, 6 buffaloes, 23 goats, 17 sheep, 5,076 chickens, and 1,349 ducks so far have drowned in floodwater in three districts -- Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj.
Besides, 2.28 lakh cows, around 29,000 buffaloes, 59,000 goats, around 20,000 sheep, 6.14 lakh chickens and 3.21 lakh ducks are now facing fodder crisis in the three districts, said sources at the office.
At least, 1,330 livestock and poultry farms have been affected by the recent flood, causing a loss of around Tk 50 crores, the office documents said.
Over 8,946 acres of grazing lands have been submerged, damaging around 4,366 tonnes of grass worth Tk 2.1 crore. Besides, around 2,259 tonnes of straw worth around Tk 1.16 crore have also been damaged.
However, statistics of cattle loss in Sunamganj was not available yet.
"We've already sought 1,370 tonnes of granular fodder and sufficient medicine for cattle from the Department of Livestock Service," said Dr Mohammad Zakir Hossain, director of the office.