Staff Reporter :
Heavy rains added to the misery of marooned people in the north and northeast regions.
Many victims were passing their days without any substantial assistance from any quarters while more areas went under water, it is alleged.
Meanwhile, at least three people drowned in the floodwaters in Sadar and Chilmari upazilas of Kurigram early Thursday.
Laily Begum, 22, wife of Saidur Rahman of Shahkahat village in Chilmari, Hamidul Haque, 17, son of Panir Uddin of Khamar Halokhana village in Sadar upazila and Siddque, 7, drowned in the floodwaters.
“Flood destroyed everything here. We are still passing our days in great misery with our belongings including domestic animals and poultry birds for want of shelter, food and drinking water. However, no relief from government or non-government has reached us,” Akbar Ali, 65, villager of Islampur Upazila in Jamalpur district told journalists.
Rain overflowed the rivers sweeping away roads, houses and other establishments including educational institutions.
The flood-hit people, who took shelter on the flood control embankments or in school and college buildings, are facing acute crisis of food and pure drinking water.
While some villagers have been evacuated from the flood-hit areas many others are still stranded.
The river erosion and stagnant floodwater destroyed hectares of the farmers’ croplands, engulfed innumerable houses of the people.
Thousands of hectares of croplands have been transplanted and remained submerged, causing misfortune to innumerable farmers and commoners.
Besides, the sufferings of poultry birds and domestic animals know no bound. As fodder crisis is prevailing there, villagers are failing to feed their domestic livestock.
The marooned people are also passing their days in great anxiety, as they have to keep their respective areas under watch at night to save their livestock and other assets from robbery. Apart from these, most of the tube wells in flood-affected areas went under water causing pure drinking water crisis. People living in remote areas on Thursday alleged that the government and non-government relief materials have not reached there yet.
Meanwhile, the overall flood situation in the country’s north and northeast districts is worsening as rivers in the region continue to swell due to heavy rainfall paired by water flowing down from the upstream hilly areas.
Many low-lying areas of the affected districts including Jamalpur, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Bogra, Lalmonirhat, Sirajganj, Tangail, Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar have remained submersed. Besides, vast low-lying area in Munshiganj, Manikganj, Chandpur, Shariatpur and Bhola districts are expected to go under water as flood situation continue to deteriorate. The sudden decrease in water flow at Teesta and Dharala basins triggered serious river erosion in many areas of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts.
On Thursday, five schools buildings were washed away by the Brahmaputra River, and 18 others remained at risk in Kurigram. Teesta and Dharala rivers devoured some 63 houses in Lalmonirhat.
In Kurigram, the overall flood situation of the district has worsened further as the Brahmaputra was flowing 37 cm above the danger level at Chilmari point while the Dharala 18 cm above the danger mark at the Bridge point.
The water level of Dudhkumar has increased by 4 cm while the flow of the Teesta has decreased by 14 cm. The two rivers were flowing slightly below the danger level.
In the last 24 hours on Thursday, 15 villages went under water in the district and 325 villages at 405 chars have remained submerged, leaving two lakh people marooned by floodwaters.
Executive magistrate Enamul Haque, acting officer of District Relief and Rehabilitation office, said some 300 tonnes of rice, Tk 8.25 lakh in cash, and 2,000 packets dry foods were allocated for the flood-affected people of nine upazilas in the district.
