The overall flood situation has taken a serious turn in many districts of the country’s north and north-eastern regions, causing immense sufferings to people.
A total of 14 rivers were flowing above the danger level yesterday, according to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.
The Water Development Board issued a red alert in Dowani area of the Teesta Barrage in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila on Sunday night.
Hundreds of families living in the Teesta Barrage area were evacuated, said Hafizul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) at Teesta Barrage.
There was an abnormal rise in the water level of the Teesta, Dharla, Brahmaputra and a few other adjoining rivers in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram yesterday. The flood situation has worsened greatly in the two districts.
The Brahmaputra was flowing 45 cm above the danger level at Chilmari point in Kurigram yesterday morning, said local WDB officials.
According to the WDB and the Kurigram and Lalmonirhat district administrations, new areas are being flooded every day due to an abnormal rise in the water level of rivers.
Floodwaters have inundated 120 villages in 21 unions of Lalmonirhat’s five upazilas. About one lakh people have been affected.
In Kurigram, flood has hit 250 villages in 42 unions of seven upazilas. It has affected about two and a half lakh people.
In Nilphamari, the Teesta was flowing 55 cm above the danger mark at Dalia point near the Teesta Barrage in Dimla upazila at 2:00am yesterday, said WDB.
Rabiul Islam Lithon, chairman of Khagakharibari Union Parishad in Dimla upazila, said flooding has eroded about 80 percent area of Kisamoter Char, a shoal of the Teesta.
Tayeb Ali, 60, and his six family members are among the flood victims who have taken shelter on a groin dam across the Teesta. Tayeb said although they were unfed for days, nobody came forward with relief to help them.
In Sunamganj, the Surma was flowing 31 cm above the danger level at Sunamganj point yesterday morning. Over 70,000 families of the district’s all 11 upazilas were affected in the last four days, said the district administration.
Flood victims are in distress as the crisis of food and drinking water is deepening.
Dilar Begum, an elderly woman from Hosenpur village in Sunamganj Sadar upazila, said she and her daughter-in-law used to work as day labourer to earn their living after the death of her son.
As they had no work for the last three months due to the Covid-19 situation and there is floodwater in their house now, it has become difficult for her to feed her four grandchildren, she added.
Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Abdul Ahad said, “We are continuing relief activities and trying to reach every affected people of all villages. No one will be left out of the coverage of the relief activities.”
The Sylhet district administration said more than 48,000 families of five upazilas have been affected by flood in the last three days.
Meanwhile, dwellers of around 50 areas in the city have been suffering from waterlogging since Saturday due to rise in water level of the Surma river and poor drainage of rainwater.
A resident of the city’s Jamtola area, Pinak Roy said, “The whole area is waterlogged for the last two days. Rainwater has entered my home as well. We are suffering because of the poor drainage system in the area.”
In Sirajganj, the Jamuna, which swelled rapidly in the last few days, was flowing above the danger level at Hard Point and Kazipur Point yesterday. Many people have taken shelter in flood protection embankments.
Jahanara Begum from Shuvogacha village in Karipur upazila said, “There is floodwater in my house for about a month. I cannot build a house at a safe place due to poverty. So I have taken shelter on the flood protection embankment with my two cows.”
In Gaibandha, over 1.22 lakh people have been affected due to the flood as the Teesta, Brahmaputra and Ghaghat rivers were flowing above the danger level yesterday.
“Water level of these three rivers will increase in the next two days,” said Mokhlesur Rahman, executive engineer of the Gaibandha WDB.
In Bogura, over 80,000 people have been hit by the flood as the Jamuna was flowing 46 cm above of the danger level at the Sariakandi Mathurapara point yesterday.
In Jamalpur, the overall flood situation was getting worse as the Jamuna was flowing 64 cm above the danger mark at Bahadurabad Ghat point in Dewanganj upazila yesterday.
Over one lakh people, who were hit hard by the first phase of flood a few days ago, have been marooned again.
[Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Bogura, Pabna, Sylhet and Jamalpur contributed to this report]
