Staff Reporter :
The overall flood situation in the country’s north, northeast and south regions on Tuesday further deteriorated as different rivers swelled, according to our correspondents.
The flood situation in Balaganj upazila of Sylhet district and Sunamganj district worsened as waters of the Surma and Kushiara rivers crossed the danger level.
In Sylhet, the flood situation in Balaganj has taken a turn for the worse due to the onrush of water from the upstream and incessant rains for the last one week, rendering 80 percent people marooned.
Besides, waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, were spreading in the upazila as many fresh areas were inundated.
Pradip Sinha, Balaganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said 157 villages of six unions of the upazila were submerged by the floodwater.
Abdal Mia, Chairman of Balaganj Upazila Parishad, said the relief materials provided by the government are insufficient against the demands of the victims.
Meanwhile, the flood situation in five other upazilas of the district remained static. The flood left over 2.5 lakh people in the six upazilas of the district marooned.
The water of Surma River in Kanaighat was flowing 57cm above the danger level while that of the Kushiara River at Amalshid in Zakiganj upazila 83cm above the red mark.
A total of nine shelter homes were opened in the district where 89 families took shelter.
In Sunamganj, the water of the Surma River was flowing 9cm above the danger level and the water may rise in the next 24 hours due to swelling of water in some points of the river, said sources at flood forecast and awareness centre of Water Development Board.
Meanwhile, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said the government will stand beside the flood-hit people with food and other emergency supplies.
“The government will continue to provide the flood victims with all types of food, medicine and other necessary support until they get rid of sufferings caused by the disaster,” he said.
The minister came up with the assurance while distributing relief materials among flood-affected people at Sadipur Bazar in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar district.
He said people in different areas have been suffering since March due to flashflood caused by the onrush of water from hills. “But, the government has continued its support to the victims.”
As some areas of the district have recently been affected by flood, Maya said the government has allocated 300 tonnes of rice, 1,000 bundles of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 30 lakh for the victims.
Besides, he said, 2,000 packets of relief materials, including dry food, chira, puffed rice, pulse and flour have been allocated for those who have taken shelter at different shelter centres.
Later, the minister also distributed relief materials at Maijgaon in Fenchuganj, Sylhet.
In Chittagong, residents of the port city are becoming anxious about flooding as rains resumed on Tuesday morning after a pause, according to bdnews24.com.
According to the Weather Office report, showers will continue through Wednesday and could grow in intensity.
Heavy rains began to fall on the port city and its surrounding areas on Sunday.
Areas like Agrabad, Halishohor, Gate 2, Muradpur, Chawkbazar, Bohoddarhat and Baklia, were waterlogged as of Monday evening.
The waters began to recede on Monday night as the rains let up, but parts of Halishohor, Boropol, Agrabad’s Access Road, Byapari Para were still waterlogged on Tuesday afternoon.
Roads in Badurtala, Chawkbazar, Arakan Housing Society area went under ankle-deep water around 12pm on Tuesday.
In Gaibandha, water levels of major two rivers Brahmaputra and Teesta were continuing to rise alarmingly for the last few days predicting flood like situation in the chars and river basin areas of four upazilas in the district immediately.
The river Brahmaputra was flowing 73 cm below its danger mark at Fulchharighat point while the Teesta river was flowing 1.07 metre below at its danger level at Sundarganj point of the district on Tuesday morning, sources said.
If the rising tendency of water level in the rivers continued, the rivers would cross its danger levels at their respective point shortly, said an official.
For this, chars and river basin areas of Horipur, Belka, Kapasia union under Sundarganj upazila, Kamarjani and Mollarchar unions under Sadar upazila, Fazlupur, Erendabari, Gozaria, Urya and Fulchhari unions under Fulchhari upazila and Holdia and Saghata unions under Saghata upazila might be inundated, he also opined.
Executive Engineer of BWDB M. Mahbubur Rahman said all the officials and the employees of the board were patrolling the flood control embankments round the clock to protect the embankment from the damage.
Talking to the journalists, Deputy Commissioner Goutam Chandra Paul said an emergency meeting of district the disaster management committee had already been held and the officials and the employees of the concerned departments were asked to be alert to reduce loss of lives and properties due to floods.
In reply to a query the DC said he had been communicating with the higher authorities concerned and briefing them about the latest flood situation of the district.
