Reza Mahmud :
Water level has risen above the danger level of the rivers in few districts and near to the danger mark in Sirajgonj, Pabna, Sylhet and Sunamgonj districts in the last several days.
In Sunamgonj, the Surma River swelled above the danger level on Friday morning because of incessant rains in India’s Meghalaya and Cherrapunji, and onrush of water from the upstream.
According to Sunamganj Water Development Board (WDB), the Surma flowed 16cm and 50cm above the danger mark at Sholghar in Sunamganj and Chhatak upazila of the district, respectively.
Zahurul Islam, Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board said, the district recorded 78 millimeter of rainfall until Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the water levels of Surma and Kushiyara rivers in Sylhet are still above the danger level but started to drop gradually on Saturday, BWDB sources said.
They said that the water level at Fenchuganj point of the Kushiyara River has increased slightly but decreased at several other points. Millions of people living in northeast Bangladesh witnessed a sign of devastating pre-monsoon flood.
Over half of Sylhet’s 110 unions are reeling from flood waters as the Surma and Kushiyara are overflowing, flooding a huge swath of croplands, homesteads, villages and townships. Apart from these, people of Sunamganj are in acute crisis of pure drinking water in shelters, locals said.
Many families have taken refuge in the three temporary flood shelters in Chhatak upazila as onrush of water from the upstream and heavy rain inundated their houses and marooned tens of thousands of people.
Chhatak upazila administration has distributed dry food among the flood victims.
However, these are not sufficient and many people did not get food, some of the flood-affected people alleged. Farmers are also facing a shortage of foods there.
Only the flood victims who have taken shelters at the educational institutions are getting relief, they alleged. In Sirajganj, water level of the Jamuna river increased near to danger mark in different areas in the district due to huge mountain rain water came from India.
“We count 13.35 centimeter near the town protect embankment in Sirajganj. The water level of the Jamuna river reached 12.16 centimeter on Saturday. It is near to the danger mark,” Hasanur Rahman of Sirajgonj WDB, said on Saturday.
About 25 houses were ruined for river bank erosion in Jalapur, Pakurtola, Arkand and Ghatabari villages in Shajadpur upazila. Victim people of the river bank erosions are living under open sky after losing everything.
Apart from these, different villages and installations including many schools and Natuarpara protection embankment are at risk to the river erosion in Kazipara upazila of the district.
Shafiqul Islam, Executive Engineer of Sirajgonj WDB said the water level of the Jamuna river will be increased more days as per the signal of the weather. He said that the authority is trying to protect villages by installing sands sacks in to the river banks.
Besides, water of Gumani river in Pabna also increased caused huge harms of boro paddy in Boro Project at Bhangura upazila in the district. Farmers are trying their utmost to reap their paddy from waist level flood water.
