Staff Reporter :
While several parts of the country have already went under floodwaters, more fresh areas of different districts also inundated on Saturday leaving thousands of people marooned.
Apart from Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Nilphamari, Shariatpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar districts, the floods yesterday also covered vast areas of Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Bogra and Tangail.
However, flood situation in the country’s northeastern parts has improved as floodwaters started receding from the affected areas, officials and local people said.
As the floodwaters started receding in the northeastern region, diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases have been spreading sporadically among the affected people, intensifying the sufferings of the flood victims.
The victims are mainly suffering from diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, eczema, itches and other water-borne diseases.
Besides, the flood-hit people, who took shelter on the flood control embankment and in school and college buildings, are facing acute crisis of food and pure drinking water.
The river erosion and stagnant floodwaters destroyed hectares of the croplands and engulfed innumerable houses of the people.
The affected people are passing their days in great misery with their belongings including domestic animals and poultry birds for want of shelter, food and drinking water.
The onrush of hilly water triggered by heavy downpour over the last 12 days inundated vast areas in many upazilas of the districts, also disrupting communications and, with rains continuing on Saturday more areas are likely to be engulfed.
Houses, different government and non-government organisations, educational institutions and crops land went under water by the recent flood, as the rivers beside the districts have been flowing above their danger level.
In Jamalpur, many low-lying areas of Dewanganj upazila went under water leaving over two lakh people marooned.
In Sirajganj, as the under-construction riverbank protection embankment at Chauhali upazila in district collapsed again on Saturday, panic is running high among the people who live beside the banks of River Jamuna.
The Khogen Ghat portion of the seven-kilometre embankment, which was constructed at a cost of Tk 109 core, collapsed into the River Jamuna. This is for the sixth time that the embankment collapsed at different spots.
In Tangail, over one lakh people of Bhuapur and Gopalpur Upazilas were marooned as the floodwaters inundated the low-lying areas.
Talking to journalists, Mohammad Shahjahan, Executive Engineer, Water Development Board, said on Saturday the water level crossed the danger level on Saturday.
“However, we have all out preparation to face the flood situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, water levels at 58 river stations monitored by Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) have marked rise while 23 stations recorded fall.
Among the 90 monitored water level stations, two river stations have been registered steady while water level at four river stations are flowing above danger level, a bulletin issued by the FFWC said on Saturday.
The Surma at Kanaighat, the Kushiyara at Amalshid, Sheola and Sherpur- Sylhet are flowing above danger level 59cm, 94cm, 76cm, and 22cm respectively.
Significant rainfall was recorded at some stations in different districts during the last 24 hours ending at 6:00am yesterday.
A total of 103 millimetres (mm) rainfall was recorded at Lama, 87mm at Dhaka, 85mm at Barguna, 80mm at Khulna, 80mm at Cox’s Bazar, 75mm at Sunamganj, 75 at Narayanhat, 69.7mm at Noakhali, 76mm at Teknaf, 55mm at Rangamati, 53.4mm at Jessore, 52.7mm at Ramgarh, 52mm at Panchpukuria and 50mm at Brahmanbaria.
Beside, a warning message of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) yesterday asked all rivers ports in the country to hoist cautionary signal number one till 6:00pm yesterday.
“Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary south or south-easterly, gusty or squally wind with speed 45-60 kilometers per hour (kph) is likely to occur over the regions of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra,
Tangail, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Faridpur, Jessore, Kushtia, Khulna, Barisal, Patuakhali, Noakhali, Comilla, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet wherein river-ports shall hoist cautionary signal number one,” it said.
Even as receding Kushiara waters improve the situation in northeastern region of Sylhet, forecasts of heavy rain and the downstream flow along the Jamuna River have exacerbated flooding in the northern Bangladesh.
According to the Met office, the coming days are likely to see an increase in rainfall.
Such an increase could further deteriorate the situation in northern areas, the Water Development Board said.
Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts were badly affected by first spell of heavy monsoon rains this season, said Sarder Udoy Raihan, an official FFWC.
Crops on about 3,000 hectares of land in the district were damaged by the flood.
In Moulvibazar, flood situation in two upazilas has improved slightly with receding of floodwater.
In Kurigram, several thousands of people were marooned by monsoon flood.
Local people said onrush of water from upstream inundated low-lying areas and chars of the district damaging crops on vast tract of land.
The District Administration officials said flood situation is improving gradually in the district with receding of floodwater. Besides, the Disaster Management and Rrelief Ministry also has disbursed 2100 tonnes of rice and Tk 42 lakh in advance for flood-prone 21 districts.
“We are carrying out a massive relief operation as the flash flood already has affected the districts like Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Cox’s Bazaar and it would continue till the receding of flood waters,” said Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Shah Kamal.
At least 50 families have been affected by flooding in Gaibandha’s Phuljhuri Upazila in the past few days.
