Climate change demands a new approach to protecting haor farming

Every year, farmers in the haor wait anxiously for the harvest season. A flash of lightning in the sky or a cover of dark clouds can send waves of panic through them during March and April. Flash floods threaten crops just weeks before harvest. Despite large public investments for crop protection dams, uncertainty persists. At the same time, these dams are increasingly criticised for their negative impact on the haor ecosystem. This recurring vulnerability raises an important question: are crop protection dams really the most effective solution for safeguarding haor agriculture?

Elderly residents of the haor recall a different past when once there were no crop protection dams and farmers relied on local knowledge, seasonal adjustments, and small earthen barriers built by the community. After Bangladesh’s independence, more structured embankments began to appear. With the establishment of a haor development board in 1974, public financing for embankment construction began. Large-scale construction expanded in the 1990s.

Then, the devastating flash floods of 2017 marked another turning point. Massive crop losses triggered protests across the haor region, and demands emerged that construction should be shifted away from contractors and handed over to local farmers. Following these protests, the Kabita Nitimala 2017 was revised and Project Implementation Committees (PICs), largely composed of local stakeholders, were assigned responsibility for embankment construction.

Haor agriculture depends heavily on a single crop, Boro rice, grown during the dry season. Nearly 30 percent of Bangladesh’s total Boro rice comes from haor areas, making crop protection a national priority. To protect this crop, submersible embankments are constructed every year.

In Sunamganj alone, Boro cultivation covers more than 223,500 hectares, while around 602 kilometres of embankments have been built this cycle. The Bangladesh Water Development Board allotted about Tk 148 crore for the construction. These projects are implemented through PICs involving local farmers and stakeholders. Yet, despite this investment, farmers continue to face crop losses and uncertainty.

The need for crop protection dams cannot be ignored. Haor areas remain highly vulnerable to flash floods originating from upstream hills and heavy rainfall. These floods often arrive just before harvest, destroying crops and pushing farmers into debt. The 2017 disaster still remains fresh in people’s memory. For millions who depend on a single annual crop, embankments provide at least some sense of security.

However, these dams often fail to deliver reliable protection. Construction delays, poor-quality work, weak monitoring, and premature rainfall frequently undermine their effectiveness. In many cases, embankments remain incomplete even after construction deadlines have passed. Others develop cracks soon after construction. In recent years, heavy rainfall and hailstorms have damaged crops before harvesting could begin in several haor areas. These recurring failures suggest that the problem is not merely technical but also institutional, involving governance, planning, and accountability.

Given these realities, a broader, combined approach is necessary as dams alone cannot protect haor agriculture.

Flash floods in the haor region are becoming more frequent due to climate change and geographical realities. Ensuring the smooth flow of floodwater from the northeastern region to the sea is crucial. Dredging rivers within the haor basin could help improve drainage capacity. In addition, downstream rivers up to Bhairab and the Meghna basin may also require dredging to ensure proper water flow. Meanwhile, climate change has shifted the timing of floods. Earlier, floods used to arrive in late April. Now, they sometimes occur in late March. This demands early harvesting strategies. Currently, most haor rice varieties take 150 to 160 days to mature. If shorter duration varieties of around 120 days become widely available, farmers could harvest the crops before the floods arrive. In that case, reliance on crop protection dams would be reduced significantly. Developing these varieties is important, but ensuring seed availability afterwards and raising awareness about them among farmers is equally crucial.

Heavy rainfall in the Meghalaya hills remains a major trigger for flash floods in the haor region. Improving weather forecasting and early warning systems could help farmers make timely decisions. Restoring canals, wetlands, and natural drainage systems could also increase water-holding capacity and reduce sudden pressure on embankments. The government’s canal excavation programme, if properly implemented, could play a beneficial role for haor areas.

Crop diversification is another important measure. Dependence on a single crop increases vulnerability. Therefore, haor dwellers could put more emphasis on fish production. At the same time, fishermen’s rights to the wetlands have to be ensured. Cultivating dry-season vegetables on elevated land, investing in fisheries, livestock, and floating agriculture could also help spread the risk. Mechanised and faster harvesting technologies could also help farmers harvest crops quickly before floods arrive.

PICs for dam construction should be formed based on members’ eligibility and proximity, not political considerations. Farmers who depend directly on these embankments should have a stronger role in planning and monitoring.

Crop protection dams create some unintended consequences. Soil for embankment construction is often collected by cutting highland vegetation (locally known as kanda) within the haor, which can affect the local ecosystem. Meanwhile, suitable soil sources are becoming more and more scarce. Poorly designed embankments obstruct water’s natural flow, leading to waterlogging in some areas and increased flood pressure in others. They may also disrupt fish migration routes, affecting biodiversity and fisheries.

Research-based, long-term planning should complement infrastructure development in the haor regions. Timely construction and independent quality monitoring of dams must be ensured. Early-maturing rice varieties, crop diversification, improved forecasting, and restoration of natural drainage systems should be prioritised. Most importantly, the active involvement of local communities should be ensured through transparent governance mechanisms.

Crop protection dams are and will remain necessary. But they cannot be the only solution. Repeated failures and increasing negative impacts on haor ecology demand a broader, more integrated approach. Rethinking haor crop protection through ecological, technological, and nature-based strategies can help ensure sustainable livelihoods and long-term food security in Bangladesh’s fragile wetland ecosystem.

Kashmir Reza is president of Poribesh o Haor Unnoyon Sangstha (POHUS). He can be reached at kashmirreza@gmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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