Vast sheets of water dotted with boats negotiating turbulent waves is not seen. There is ankle to knee deep water in most areas now where the water level used to be 15 to 20 feet during this time of the year. This was not experienced in at least 25 years, elders said.

Poor rainfall is affecting life of about 10,000 people in Itna, Methamoin, Astrogram, Niklee, Bajitpure and Koliarchor. Most areas are neither navigable nor cultivable.

Fishing, a traditional occupation is virtually absent this year as natural breeding of sweet water fishes dwindled because of lack of sufficient water.

"I could catch 5 to 7 kilograms of shrimps a day during monsoon last year but I can hardly get shrimps now due to lack of water", said Monzil Mia of Gazipur village in Itna upazila.

During monsoon, people in the area usually catch fish with nets and bamboo made traps locally known as Chai. A fisherman buys 100 to 150 Chais, which cost him Tk 5000 to 7500 and use a small boat to catch shrimps in haor. A fisherman could earn Tk 1000 to Tk 1500 a day by selling shrimp and other fishes. They are now hard hit.

Shawkat Mia of Chilnee village in Itna said, "We are ruined this year as we bought fishing traps with loans from money lenders.

"We use to maintain families till the next harvest with the earning from fishing. But I am worried I can not repay the loan", he said.

Farmers said, there will be less deposit of silt because of less water and this will affect soil fertility and the next IRRI-Boro crop.

Fishermen in the haor areas said, as monsoon water stayed for only one and half months this year, most of the small fishes could not complete their breeding period, which has drastically decreased fish supply this year.

The adverse climatic condition has also affected nearly 5000 seasonal boatmen, who used to carry passengers from different haor areas to Chamra river port, the gateway to road network. Most of the boatmen have no work now as haors are not navigable.

Unbelievable though, academic institutions in haor areas have also been affected. Chowdhury Kamrul Hasan, principal of Itna College in haor area said, students' attendance has become thin because of communication problem. Students who can avail boats plying small rivers and canals only come to college. Others can not come as most haor areas are neither navigable nor can be wade through because of shallow water, he said.