Sunamganj district, known as the “daughter of the haor,” is one of the most neglected and underdeveloped districts in Bangladesh. There are more than 137 haors in this district, and most people depend on farming for their livelihood. About 63% of the land here is used for cultivating Boro rice, and Sunamganj is among the top 10 Boro-producing districts in the country.But sadly, while development is happening rapidly in many places across the country, the people of this district are still trapped in various problems and hardships. The suffering of the haor people is not new—every time the season changes, their sighs and struggles become even heavier. Year after year, the people of this district depend on nature to survive, and at the same time, they suffer from nature’s cruelty. But the biggest curse on them is not nature—it is mismanagement created by humans: unplanned embankments, waterlogging, and negligence in the name of development.
The tears of haor people today are not just floodwater—these tears tell the long story of failure in policy-making.
Unplanned embankments have become a curse, not development. For years, many projects have been taken for this region, aiming to protect crops, prevent early floods, and strengthen the rural economy. But the reality is very different. Irregularities in embankment construction, working outside the official design, not completing work on time—these have become normal scenes. Every year we hear the same complaints: the embankment is weak, it was not compacted properly, low-quality materials were used, and contractors did not wait for the right season. When the embankment finally breaks, the blame is put on natural disasters. But many of these failures could be prevented if people acted responsibly.
Because of unplanned embankments, the natural flow of water is blocked. In some places, the embankments are built so high that water cannot drain out from the haor. This creates long-term waterlogging, making life extremely difficult for farmers and destroying their crops.
Farmers in Sunamganj depend mostly on one crop Boro rice. This single crop keeps their families alive. But when this crop gets flooded just before harvesting, farmers not only face financial loss but also mental breakdown. Waterlogging becomes so severe that even if the crop ripens, farmers cannot enter the field—machines cannot go in either. They have to watch their golden fields turn yellow and then get washed away.
Every family has a story—a history of struggle. When rice is destroyed, it’s not just a crop they lose. They cannot repay loans, cannot buy new seeds, cannot arrange their daughter’s marriage, cannot pay for their children’s education. Most importantly, they lose their future.Sunamganj remains neglected and outside the cycle of real development. The haor region is often praised as a “land of water” or “a district of natural beauty.” But behind this beauty lies the hidden suffering of its people. Big projects are announced for the district, but implementation is weak, monitoring is low, and there is no permanent solution.There are talks about modernizing water management, but proper drainage and river dredging are missing.Transparency in embankment construction is still a challenge. Even though satellite-based early warning systems exist, information does not reach farmers in time. Risk-based insurance for farmers is still not active.Most importantly, the people of this district vote but do not receive services; they pay taxes but do not get security. Policy-makers sitting in the capital talk about the haor, but no one comes to listen to the cries of the haor people.their question remains: when will there be a permanent solution?
Everyone knows that nature cannot be controlled. But why do man-made disasters return again and again? Why are embankments not repaired earlier? Why is there no modern system to remove waterlogging? Farmers never demand too much from the state. They only want their one and only crop to be saved. They do not want charity—they want strong embankments, timely work, and proper water drainage. The cries of the haor people should not be normal news anymore. But people seem to have become used to hearing the same stories every year the embankment broke here, crops drowned there. The main problems behind this repeated disaster are lack of planning, corruption, weak monitoring, obstruction of natural water flow, and ignoring farmers’ voices in policy-making.If proper planning, modern technology, and transparency are ensured today, Sunamganj can rise again.This region has the potential to grow not only in rice production but also in tourism, fisheries, and agro-forestry. But this requires political will and commitment.the cries of the haor people are not just their own—they reflect the weaknesses of our entire agricultural system. We must remember: if the farmer survives, the country survives.If we do not stand by them today—if we do not give sustainable solutions—next year the same wave of tears will return again.If the authorities gave proper attention to this district’s agriculture, it would improve the lives of the people, strengthen farming, and ultimately help the country’s economy.
