Staff Reporter :The flood situation in several districts in the country has worsened further on Friday amid heavy rainfalls, rising river levels and washing away of flood protection dams on previous night. A total of 63 mm rains were recorded in Habiganj and 53.4 mm in Kushtia. According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), the water continues to rise in all the major rivers except Ganges. A total of country’s 18 per cent areas have been inundated by flood water till now. Household chores, domestic animals and other belongings of the flood affected areas were also damaged alongside with the extensive damage of Aman paddy and other seasonal crops. The flood victims are also crying for relief materials, as they are facing acute crisis of dry food and pure drinking water. The flood situation at least in six districts, including Dhaka Shariatpur, Madaripur, Munshiganj, Rajbari and Faridpur, may further deteriorate today (Saturday). On the other hand, the flood situation may remain unchanged in Gaibandha, Bogra, Sirajganj, Jamalpur and Tangail. It, however, may improve in six other districts- Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Netrokona, Sunamganj and Sylhet, said the officials of the FFWC. Mentioning the statistics of flood affected areas, Ripon Karmaker, Assistant Engineer of the FFWC, said that the water flow in the rivers Padma, Jamuna, Brahmmaputra and several other rivers would rise further. The water of the rivers around Dhaka City- Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Turag Khal will also rise in next 48 hours. Turag at Mirpur may cross danger level, he added. The flood water have already entered many low-lying areas in and around the city. Flood experts said that the eastern part of Dhaka might be affected seriously if the water levels in the Brahmmaputra and Ganges rise further.The Dharla River in Kurigram, the Ghagot in Gaibandha, the Brahmmaputra at Chilmari and the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi, Sirajganj and Aricha were flowing above the danger marks by 34 cm, 64 cm, 49 cm, 70 cm, 97 cm, 41cm, and 12 cm respectively, while the flows of the rivers were 25 cm, 50, 40, 58 cm, 74 cm, 25 cm and 2 cm respectively on Thursday. The Atrai at Baghabari, the Dhaleswari at Elasin, the Lakhya at Lakhpur, Lakhya at Narayanganj, the Kaliganga at Taraghat, the Padma at Goalanda, Bhagyakul and Sureswar, the Surma in Sunamganj, the Kushiyara in Sherpur, the Old Surma at Derai and the Kangsha at Jariajanjail were flowing above the danger levels by 94 cm, 80 cm, 82 cm, 17 cm, 7 cm, 24 cm, 17 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 5 cm, 27 cm and 84 cm.In Bogra, at least 50 villages were flooded after a portion of flood embankment collapsed at Raydaha under Sariakandia upazila on Thursday night. Flood water from Jamuna began rushing in through half a kilometer breach on the broken wall. The flood guard was seen falling apart from the start of the monsoon season but the cracks were blocked using sand bags. But the Jamuna rose fiercely during the past two days before giving it a final blow.Bogra Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Officer Nurul Islam Sarkar said that the gushing waters flooded Raydaha, Shekherparha, Koritala, Kutubpur, Doriparha and Dhunat over night. The areas on the southern and western sides of Jamuna River at Raydaha were submerged, as the water kept rising. Hundreds of acres of farmland were underwater at Dhunat, where new areas were being flooded almost daily.In Munshiganj, the flood situation in the district worsened further amid continuing rain and rising river levels. Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Munshiganj Saiful Hasan Badal said that fresh areas in the district were flooded on Friday. He also said that medical teams were already working in the affected areas. Meanwhile, the Padma is eroding its bank at an alarming rate. The river erosion has increased at Kumarbhog in Louhajang and Kamarkharha in Tangibarhi upazila. The Kamarkharha Barail Primary School has been closed because of serious erosion. At least 49 homes have been devoured affecting 823 families.The DC said that the government has allotted 100 tonnes of rice for the flood victims in the district and the district administration was spending Tk 230,000 in relief measures,In Sirajganj, the flood situation in the district has worsened following the rising of water level in the Jamuna. UNO of Kazipur upazila Shafiul Islam said that fresh areas have been inundated after a ring embankment was washed away near Kazipur’s Meghai area. This has also left some 600 families stranded in water-logged areas, he added. In addition, the Sirajganj-Kazipur road had been inundated near the Kazipur Police Station. The Roads and Highways Department was dumping sandbags there to fight the flood. In the shoal areas of the district, thousands of houses have been inundated by one to three-feet-deep water. The number of patients suffering from water-borne diseases has risen alarmingly in those areas. The flood-affected people in remote areas, however, complained that they had not received any relief material yet. DC of Sirajganj Billal Hossain said that they have been distributing relief in every upazila.Meanwhile, at least 7 to 8 lakh people have so far been marooned in the Brahmmaputra basin following further deterioration of flood situation on Friday. Besides, erosion has damaged over 20,000 houses and standing crops on 62,000 hectares of land have submerged in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Sirajganj districts, officials sources said.According to the WDB officials, the erosion has taken serious turn at different places and the authorities have been conducting emergency protection works at the damaged points of flood control embankments.In Kurigram, over 2.40 lakh people of 54,757 families have been affected by flood water in 542.55 square kilometre areas under 56 unions of all nine upazilas in the district. Besides, river erosion has damaged 10,282 houses, 77 educational and religious institutions, 127 km village roads, 38 embankments, seven culverts and floodwater have submerged standing crops on 48,500 hectares of land.In Lalmonirhat, about 30,000 people of 7,339 families and standing crops on 1,250 hectares in five upazilas have been affected by flood.
