Staff Reporter :
Many fresh areas are likely to be inundated as waters of all major rivers in the country are rising.
Lakhs of flood affected people are now facing severe food and pure water crisis. Besides, many people became worried for robbery in their houses as most of them left houses keeping valuables.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit flood-hit areas on Tuesday.
However, Bangladesh Water Development (BWDB) forecasted that low lying areas of Tangail, Munshiganj and Shariatpur districts may be flooded in the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, many areas in Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Moulvibazar and Habiganj district have been inundated in fresh flood, while 70 upazilas in 12 districts were inundated by the flood water too.
According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department, there is chance of medium to heavy rainfall in the country’s eight divisions next 24 hours.
Heavy rainfalls are likely in the northern and north-eastern regions of the country along with adjoining states of Assam, Meghalaya and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal of India in next 48 hours, according to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
Officials of Bangladesh Water Development said, waters of the rivers Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Ganges-Padma, Surma, Kushiyara, Teesta, Dharla, Dudkumar and all other major rivers may continue rising in next 48 hours.
Besides, flood situation in the Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona districts may deteriorate further in next 24 hours, BWDB officials said.
The water level of Teesta may remain above danger level in the next 24 hours.
Flood condition may deteriorate in the low lying areas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Jamalpur, Sirajganj districts too.
As rains ceased, floodwater started to recede in some flood-hit areas on Sunday. However, many rivers are still flowing above the danger level.
Meanwhile, power supply has partially been restored in some areas of Sylhet city after eight hours of disruption around 8 pm on Saturday, said Abdul Kadir, Chief engineer of Power Development Board, Sylhet.
Besides, train communications between Sylhet and Dhaka has been resumed on Sunday.
The power supply to Sulhet was suspended on Saturday afternoon as flood water entered the Kumargaon Power Grid substation.
Power supply was restored in a number of areas in the city including Jindabazar, Chouhatta, Ambarkhana, Bandarbazar, Nayasarak, Naiurpool, Shahi Eidgah, Tilagarh, Baluchar and Mirer Dokan on Sunday.
Our Sylhet Correspondent reports:
Flood vicitms in the district have been going through immese sufferings due to crisis of food and pure drinking water.
“We have neither food nor received any relief nor the shelter,”said Terab Bibi, a resident of Chararpar of Sylhet city who has taken shelter at Ramkrishna Primary School in Chalibandar area amid the worsening flood situation.
“I failed to provide any food to my children as no relief materials reached the shelter yet. I gave some puffed rice for my children. How can I stay here?” said the 35-year old woman.
Floods are ravaging the country and vast areas starting from Sylhet-Sunamganj to northern Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram have been submerged by floodwaters.
As rains ceased, floodwater started to recede in some flood-hit areas on Sunday. However, many rivers are still flowing above the danger level.
Power supply has partially restored in some areas of Sylhet city after eight hours of disruption around 8 pm on Saturday, said Abdul Kadir, Chief engineer of Power Development Board, Sylhet.
The power supply to Sulhet was suspended Saturday afternoon as flood water entered the Kumargaon Power Grid substation.
Power supply was restored in a number of areas in the city including Jindabazar, Chouhatta, Ambarkhana, Bandarbazar, Nayasarak, Naiurpool, Shahi Eidgah, Tilagarh, Baluchar and Mirer Dokan on Sunday.
Many people have taken shelter in the houses of their relatives while many people in government declared shelter homes.
Ruhul Alam, executive engineer of Sylhet City Corporation (in-charge of shelter homes), said at least 30 shelter homes have been opened in the city but it is difficult to know how many people are residing there.
A large number of people are still waiting at their respective houses as they failed to arrange any transport to reach the shelter homes or other safer places.
Besides, the prices of daily essentials have shot up in the kitchen markets.
The unprecedented flooding inundated 80 percent of the territory in Sylhet district, and 90 percent area of Sunamganj, according to Flood Forecast and Warning Center.
Our Netrokona Correspondent reports: The recent flood has destroyed crops, killed livestock and fisheries amounting to at least Tk150 crore in Netrokona.
According to sources in concerned departments, fish from 25,000 ponds washed away, 223 cattle farms and 442 poultry farms have been damaged.
District Agriculture Department Deputy Director Shahjahan Siraj said 1,091 hectares of land in crop fields, including jute and vegetables, have been submerged.
District fisheries officer Shahjahan Kabir said the ongoing floods have washed away about 11,000 tons of fish from ponds in 10 upazilas worth over Tk100 crore.
Our Tangail Correspondent adds:
Dams and roads in two upazilas of Tangail have damaged, flooding low-lying areas of about 20 villages.
On Sunday, the dam in Analiyabari area of Kalihati upazila and the road in Balia Uttarpara area in Basail upazila.
According to the locals, water has been flowing over the road in Balina Uttarpara area of Basail upazila’s Andhirapara-Balina road for the last two days. Later, due to strong currents, the road collapsed.
At the same time, three other roads at Andhirapara also collapsed.
Mohammad Solaiman, headmaster of Balina Dakhil Madrasa in Basail upazila, said the road was broken in four places. As a result, there was no movement on the road. Ordinary people including students are in extreme misery, he added.
Meanwhile, the dam broke in Analiabari area of Kalihati upazila. As a result, traffic through the dam is closed at present.
Abdul Alim, chairman of Salla union parishad, said: “The dam has collapsed due to excess water pressure. Due to this, low-lying areas of 10 to 12 villages including Analiabari, Bhawal, Nardai, Goria, Habla, Deolabari of the upazila have been flooded. It also broke down here last year.”
Our Moulvibazar Correspondent reports: As many as two people were killed and 1,60,000 affected as heavy rainfall in Moulvibazar and the rising waters of River Kushiyara and Hakaluki haor, inundated the municipality areas of Barlekha upazila and 200 other villages in 10 unions.
Deputy Commissioner Mir Nahid Ahsan visited flood-hit Barlekha and Juri upazilas of the Moulvibazar district on Saturday.
Arnab Malakar, an executive magistrate of the district administration confirmed the matter in a media statement.
A worker named Rajan Bunerji, 60 was killed in a landslide at Ayeshabagh Tea Garden in North Shahbazpur Union near Baralekha Upazila.
The power supply and communication system in the villages are in a state of disarray. In Juri upazila, 16,000 people have been stranded in 28 villages.
Erosion of the Juri river occurred in Gauripur of Jafornagar union and Sagarnal union.
The dam is being repaired in collaboration with the upazila administration and locals.
In Kamalganj upazila, rains and landslides from India have broken the banks of the Dhalai river and caused floods in nine unions and municipal areas.
Arnab Malakar, the executive magistrate said government assistance will be provided to the flood victims and relief distribution activities started in different areas on Sunday.
Our Kurigram Correspondent adds:
Flood situation in Kurigram district has worsened further due to the swelling of major rivers caused by onrush of water from upstream and incessant rainfall, rendering over two lakh people marooned.
According to the local BWDB, the Dharla River was flowing 27 cm above its danger level at Setu point while the Brahmmaputrar was flowing 32 cm above its red mark at Chilmari point at 6 am on Saturday.
Besides, Teesta river has swollen at many points due to continuous rains.
The low-lying areas and char areas of Kurigram Sadar, Ulipur, Roumari upazilas went under water while 65 educational institutions have been shut due to flood, according to local administration.
Over 150 villages in nine upazilas of the district have been flooded in the last three days as major rivers continue to swell.
Some 3,000 hectares of land have been submerged while a 20-22 feet long temporary flood protection embankment at Muriarhat of Nageshwari upazila collapsed on Saturday, flooding fresh areas.
Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rashedul Hasan said they have visited the flood-hit areas and distributed 500 packets of dry food in sadar upazila. “We have enough relief materials in stock,” he said.
Up to one lakh people have so far been evacuated from the flood-hit Sylhet and Sunamganj districts, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman said on Sunday.
Nearly 40 lakh people have been marooned in the two districts in one of the worst floods in the region in memory.
The rain-fed deluge inundated 60 percent areas in Sylhet district and 90 per cent areas in Sunamganj district, the state minister told reporters at the Secretariat.
Already 75,000 people have taken shelter in different centers in Sunamganj and 30,000 people in Sylhet.
He said two people have died, one died from electrocution while another drowned in the flood water. There is no report of any one missing during the flood, he added.
The flood situation slightly improved in Sylhet while it remained static in Sunamganj district. Besides, the flood situation worsened in Habiganj and Moulvibazar districts.
Enamur said that the flood situation may worsen in northern parts of the country after Monday.
Already Tk 2.60 crore has been allocated for the flood-hit people in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts and Tk 10 lakh, 100 metric tonnes of rice, 4,000 packets of dry foods were sent to the districts which have been flooded newly.
Besides, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also provided another Tk 20 crore for the flood-hit people, said the State Minister.
