He is worried how to survive till the next harvest a year later.

The early flood took away ready-for-harvest Boro paddy on three acres, the only food crop in a year.

Amir Uddin at Chhoyhara village in Jagannathpur upazila says the situation will become serious in about three weeks.

"There will be no food and work. The lands will remain under water for over seven months.

"I just looked on helplessly as the Boro fields reeled under water in 2-3 days", he said.

"We did not face such a situation even after the 1988 deluge, which came after harvest", he says.

Nurul Gani and Amir Uddin are among several lakh people in Sunamganj district, a low-lying haor area, who lost their entire paddy crop.

All the ten upazilas in the district have been affected by the floods in April-May.

Even rich farmers who are dependent on Boro crop will face food crisis, said Shafique Miah of Dhol village in Derai upazila.

Normally water recedes within a few days and we can save crops. But this year it was different. "I could recover only ten percent of the crop from under water".

They, like many others this correspondent talked to, curse not only their fate but also Water Development Board officials. Ill-planned and improperly maintained WDB flood control embankments in haors aggravated the situation, they alleged.

The looming crisis has stirred political leaders and district officials as well.

A report prepared by the district administration says early floods caused by rain and water from Meghalaya hills across the borer submerged IRRI-Boro paddy on over three lakh seven thousand acres, causing a crop loss of worth about Tk 450 crore.

The district agriculture department estimated that paddy on about 1,10,600 hectares were lost.

The district Law and Order Committee at a meeting on Tuesday chaired by Whip and Minister-in-Charge of the district Fazlul Haque Aspia discussed the situation and suggested special relief allocations and agriculture loan.

Meeting sources said a visibly angry Whip Aspia asked WDB officials to take punitive action against officials and contractors responsible for the ill-planned and improperly maintained embankments. Aspis was elected from Sunamganj Sadar (North) and Biswambharpur upazilas.

Deputy Commissioner Jafar Siddique, Police Superintendent Mir Shahidul Islam, Advocate Bazlul Majid Chowdhury Khashru, Additional PP Mashuque Alam, Advocate Matiur Rahman and Advocate Ainul Islam Bablu also spoke at the meeting.

Sources said Aspia met the Prime Minister earlier and apprised her of the situation and got assurance of additional relief allocations.

There are about 40 flood control embankments in haors in the district. As in every year, maintenance work was done this year also. About Tk one core 75 lakh was spent this year, WDB sources said.

But the WDB starts work on embankments just before the rainy season, which does not yield any meaningful result, people alleged.

Earlier in April, Water Resources Minister Hafij Uddin Ahmed at a meeting with the district administration at Sunamganj Circuit House also ordered action against WDB officials responsible for the embankments.

Political leaders and district officials have suggested launching of food aid programme in the district.

Talking to this correspondent yesterday, Sunamganj Awami League Vice President Golam Rabbani said people will face starvation if test relief is not started soon.

Public Prosecutor Humayun Kabir Jahanur said the government is aware of the grave situation.

"We hope steps will be taken soon as the Prime Minister assured Whip Fazlul Haque Aspia (of special allocations)".

Sunamganj Pourashava Chairman Mominul Moujdin demanded proper steps to permanently control recurring floods in Sunamganj district, a rice bowl and rich in fish resources also.

Anjab Ali, Chairman of Mohanpur Union Parishad in Sunamganj Sadar upazila flood control should be above politics. All political parties should join efforts to control floods in the district.

The 'Citizens Committee for Protecting Haor People' at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday demanded immediate steps by the government and international aid agencies including the World Food Programme to save the 17 lakh people of Sunamganj.

Its leaders said over 1000 square kilometre area covering 84 unions in 10 upazilas were badly hit by floods this year. The crop loss stood at over Tk 450 croe. But the government sanctioned only 1000 tons of rice and Tk two crore. These are negligible compared to the needs, they said.

The Citizens Committee also held a press conference in Sylhet to raise demands for more assistance for the flood affected people.