Flood-affected people crying for relief

Torrential rain and hilly water flooded the Sherpur district’s frontier upazila’s low-lying areas. The photo was taken on Saturday. NN photo
Torrential rain and hilly water flooded the Sherpur district’s frontier upazila’s low-lying areas. The photo was taken on Saturday. NN photo
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Staff Reporter :
Marooned by flooding, lakhs of residents in Sylhet and Sunamgonj districts are now facing a food, medicine, shelter and drinking water shortage.
The matter to regret is that still no political leaders visited them with food or other essential items to help the disastrous people. Even the administration’s response to helpless people was poor.
In flood affected areas, there is not a single dry area to cook food.
Meanwhile, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has reached Sylhet flood affected area with 100 tons of relief food.
He urged the capable people of society to stand beside the Sylhet flood affected people with necessary items.
“The situation in Sylhet is dire. We do not have enough food or drinking water. All our belongings are underwater. We are spending our days sitting on the bed,” said Sanjida Islam, a resident of the city’s Taltola area.
“I have never seen such a flood before. Most areas of the city are inundated. Water is entering people’s homes. Many have been without any food for days,” said Mahbubur Rahman of Sadarpara.
On Saturday, many people were preparing to send foodstuff and water to the worst-hit upazilas by boats.
One of them, Humayun Kabir, said he was doing what he could do for the people to the best of his ability in this difficult time.
“People are suffering because of the flood, and many areas have yet to receive any government aid,” he said.
According to meteorologist Saeed Ahmed Chowdhury, Sylhet saw 108mm of rainfall in 24 hours to Saturday morning.  
Heavy rainfall will continue in the district till Sunday, he said.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board’s Sylhet office said the Surma River was flowing above the danger level at Kanaighat and Sylhet points at 6am on Saturday.

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