A boat floats on the yard of a house inundated by flood water at Shibalaya in Manikganj as the River Jamuna was flowing above the danger level on Saturday. — New Age photo
More low-lying areas in the districts surrounding Dhaka were inundated on Saturday as the Balu, Dhaleshwari, Turag rivers and Tongi canal continued to swell while Jamuna-Brahmaputra river systems continued to fall.
The Ganges-Padma river systems also started to fall in Rajbari, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre officials said.
River erosions, inadequate relief and spread of diseases intensified the sufferings of millions of marooned people in flood-hit districts across the country, said officials concerned.
Flood forecasting centre executive engineer Sazzad Hossain told New Age that rivers surrounding Dhaka––Balu, Turag and Dhaleswari––and Tongi canal kept swelling and remained at warning level.
‘But flood in the capital is unlikely,’ he said.
Sazzad also said that the Jamuna was falling and the flood situation continued to improve in the northern districts.
The Padma fell by 2cm at Goalanda on Saturday, he added.
According to disaster management and relief ministry, over 57 lakh people were affected in 30 districts badly hit by floods.
Death toll from floods rose to 98 on Saturday, said disaster management department control room.
According to Health Emergency Operation Centre at the Directorate General of Health Services, 13 people were killed by floods in four districts––seven in Jamalpur, three Gaibandha, two Naogaon and one in Rangpur––on Saturday.
The 13 deceased took to 51 the number of people died in floods, including 46 drowned in four days since August 16.
Flood-affected people were suffering from various waterborne diseases and inadequate relief supply in worse affected districts in the northern, western and central zones.
New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that flood-affected people in the district were starving because of inadequate relief.
Omicon Beyoa, 72, a resident of in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, along with her son Mainul, 47, daughter-in-law and grand children took shelter on Lalmonirhat-Moghalhat road eight days ago as their houses were inundated.
Like her, nearly 3,000 families, along with their cattle, goats and hens also took shelter on Mogholhat-Baraibari road and on the flood protection dam beside the Dharla River. They received no relief, they said.
Jahanara Begum, 42, a woman from Shiberkuthi village in Lalmonirhat, took shelter on flood protection dam of the Dharla along with her husband Shahed Ali and two children. She said that they had been starving since August 17. ‘We had 3kg rice that was finished on Thursday,’ she said.
‘I neither got any relief nor have money to buy food for the two kids,’ she said in tears holding onto the kids––Jannati Akhter, 9, and Tazul Islam, 5.
Aklima, 45, hailed from Khuniaghach village in Lalmonirhat, who took shelter in Kalmati Government Primary School eight days ago, said that they were facing problem as they had no cooking arrangement.
‘My husband collected rice but we could not cook it. Like us, some families are living with cattle here. But there is no fodder for the cattle,’ Akhlima said.
Farmer Samsul, 60, of Sindurna, Hasna Amiron, Hawa Bibi and Parul of Dawabari village said that they were living on puffed rice.
They alleged that none went to them with relief.
Lalmonirhat deputy commissioner Shafiul Arif said that 1,020 packets of dry food, 460 tonnes of rice and Tk 17 lakh in cash were distributed in the past eight days.
New Age Correspondent in Munshiganj reported that at least 8 houses at Haiwaypara of Tongibari upazila were devoured by Padma and 10,000 people were marooned in three upazilas as the Padma was flowing 27cm above the danger mark at Mawa on Saturday. Over 100 houses and mosques were in danger at Doghirpar union.
New Age correspondent in Bogra reported that no relief reached many areas at Sariakandi.
The marooned people were facing food and fodder crisis. Lack of drinking water and sanitation made their lives unbearable. About 150 families took shelter on groin dam at Sariakandi and they were not getting foods, alleged the victims.
Local union parishad member Efaz Uddin said that no relief came to this area and marooned people were in crisis of food.
Source: New Age
