55 families in Radhanagar area of ​​Hujuripara union of Paba upazila of Rajshahi are stuck in water due to an unplanned pond. The entire area is waterlogged as the water outlet has been blocked due to several days of rain. The walls of two houses have already collapsed, water has entered many houses. The residents are spending their days in extreme distress with everything from cooking, moving around, to the safety of their children.

When we went to Radhanagar area, we saw that there was water all over the courtyards of houses. Some people are going out for essential work through that water, some are putting household items on high places. Cooking is also being disrupted in many houses due to the water.

In some places, there are signs of the walls of the house collapsing, in some places, vegetables are submerged in water. Housewife Maya Rani said, “For the past few days, water has been knee-deep in the house. I can’t cook properly, and on top of that, a snake entered the house last night; my husband was not at home either. I am afraid to take my child off my lap, I feel like I am going to leave the house in this pain and fear.”

We are in a lot of trouble, with water accumulating inside and outside the house, it has become difficult to live normally. Starting from cooking, moving around, even keeping our children safe is now a big concern. It seems like no one is watching our suffering, I don’t know how long we will have to stay in the water like this.

Another housewife, Jharna Bibi, said, “The entire area is submerged under water because of the pond, our homes and everything in our family is fighting with water.”

Local residents complain that the rainwater from Radhanagar used to flow into the big beel every year through the ponds and canals next to the beel. But after a large pond was dug, the water flow was blocked. This time, after heavy rains, the entire area was submerged due to the water not being able to drain out.

Farmer Habibur Rahman said that the plants in his gourd and chilli fields have died due to the stagnant water. This has caused a loss of about two lakh taka. He said that water has never stagnated like this before; the water used to flow through the pond into the big beel.

Locals allege that the pond of farmer Wajanbir in Radhanagar area is currently leased by two brothers named Mohsin Ali and Dulal. Due to them, water is not able to flow through the pond.

Mukul Ali, who is in charge of maintaining the pond, said that the water is not being allowed to drain on the owner’s orders. He said that the water has been held back due to fears that there are fish in the pond and that releasing the water could harm the fish.

Mohsin Ali, who leased the pond, said, “I have been in this area for 16 years. Earlier, the pond was small, and there were problems with fish farming. So last year, I talked to the owner, Waznavi, and made the pond bigger and later took the lease.” He claims that there are fish worth about Tk 2 million in the pond; if the water is drained, the fish will be harmed.

A wall of farmer Mozammel Hossain’s house has collapsed due to waterlogging. He said, “The wall of the house has collapsed, now I don’t know where I will stay with my family. We were forced to complain to UNO sir, thinking there would be a quick solution. But the problem has not been solved yet, we are just sitting in the water every day and waiting.”

Hujuripara Union Parishad Chairman Shahidul Islam said that he visited the scene after receiving complaints from the locals. According to what he saw, there has never been such a big waterlogging in the area before. The water is not draining due to the pond. The matter has been reported to the Upazila Executive Officer.