A dam has burst its banks after a deluge of rain upstream and water has started entering the extended part of Gurmar Haor wetland in Sunamganj amid floods, threatening crops in a vast swathe of land. Md Zahirul Islam, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in the district, said they could not work to save the dam because the wetland is protected by an international treaty – the Ramsar Convention.

Officials at the Department of Agricultural Extension said they also do not have the authority to work in the wetlands of the area because of the treaty. They said some farmers use the high parts of the wetland. Farmer Khasrul Alam said the dam was breached near the Tanguar Haor watchtower on Sunday morning. Villagers tried to block the water by strengthening the dam, but their efforts failed.

Floods in early April damaged paddy on thousands of hectares of land in the region during the Boro season. The condition of the region does not support cultivation in any other season, therefore many farmers will lose everything if the floods damage the crops. The farmers started harvesting half-ripe paddy after heavy rains upstream triggered the second round of floods in a month.