Floods worsen in central, south areas

Trackback URL

Download PDF

The level of floodwater will start receding within the next 48 hours in the northern parts of the country while the situation deteriorated further in the south, central, and north-eastern regions, said a government flood forecasting centre bulletin last night.

Our correspondents from different districts reported immense sufferings of the marooned people due to the second phase of flood within just a couple of months. Seedlings of aman and vegetable beds that the farmers had been trying to prepare for the second time in the season were ruined again. Affected people are taking refuges in flood shelters, buildings of educational institutions, and on high roads in different areas, leaving behind their houses, the reports added.

According to the reports, all major rivers were flowing above the danger levels at 25 river water measuring points while at 44 points across the country they marked significant rises. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (WWFC) bulletin said almost all the rivers in the country marked significant rises.

However the bulletin also said the monsoon is going to be less active in India as well as in Bangladesh showing signs of improvements at different upstream river points in the northern region. But rainfall is likely to occur in upper hilly areas of Sylhet region including Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, deteriorating the situation there.

However the flash flood situation in the hilly region is going to mark an improvement, said the bulletin.

Quoting Water Development Board (WDB) officials our Sylhet correspondent reported that the overall flood situation remained unchanged in Sylhet and Sunamganj regions yesterday with a lesser amount of rainfall, but all rivers in the region continued to flow above the danger levels at all points.

Rural people there have been suffering badly due to a shortage of fodder. Villagers in Gowainghat, Beanibazar, Kanaighat, and Golapganj upazilas are harvesting green paddies from the inundated fields to use those as cattle fodder.

Road link between Gowainghat upazila headquarters and the district headquarters remained snapped for the third day yesterday as the road remained under water at many points.

Our Moulvibazar correspondent reported that the Monu and Dholai rivers are rising, flowing above the danger marks and already inundating a vast tract of land for the third time this season.

At least 50 houses with household goods, cattle, and poultry in Gazipur village under Hazipur union of Kulaura upazila were washed away. Sixteen unions under Kulaura, Juri, Kamalganj, and Rajnagar upazilas were affected by the flood.

According to the preliminary reports available, more than 25,000 people of the four upazilas were marooned. About 20,000 acres of cropland with aman paddies on them were inundated in Talimpur, Sujanagar, and in Borni unions of Juri upazila.

Our Sirajganj correspondent reported that the flood situation there deteriorated further yesterday, as the Jamuna River continued to rise.

The government sources said at least 6.5 lakh people in nine upazilas of the district are still marooned. The affected people are being infected with different waterborne diseases. At least 1,000 people have already been infected with diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases.

An acute scarcity of fodder is plaguing the district, making livestock owners very worried. The district agricultural department said about 20,000 hectares of croplands with ropa amon, seedbeds, and vegetables on them in nine upazilas were inundated, completely destroying the crops.

Sources in the district office of primary and secondary education said more than 400 educational institutions remained unofficially closed.

Thousands of looms came to a grinding halt again rendering a similar number of weavers unemployed.

Our Netrakona correspondent reported that the flood situation there deteriorated further yesterday evening with 35 unions of Kalmakanda, Durgapur, Khaliajuri, Netrakona Sadar, Mohongonj, and Barhatta upazilas getting inundated, leaving at least 1,20,000 people marooned.

Floodwater damaged newly planted aman crops on about 35,000 hectares of land and several hundred hectares of vegetables fields, Netrakona Agricultural Extension Department (AED) sources said.

Water levels in the rivers Sumeshowary, Magra, Kongsha, and Dhanu — the four major river of the district — continued to rise.

Some 35 metres of Netrakona-Kalmakanda road broke off due to strong currents of floodwater yesterday morning. Erosion of land by the river Sumeshowary continued devouring 20 houses in Shibgonj area under Durgapur pourasava, the upazila administration sources said.

Our Gaibandha correspondent reported that road communication among Gaibandha, Balashi Ghat, and Fulchhari upazilas remained snapped due to the unchanging flood situation in the district.

Aman and vegetables on 20,860 hectares of land in four affected upazilas were damaged.

Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reported that the flood situation there was improving but the situation at the Dharla River embankment area remained unchanged, as the Dharla was flowing three centimetres above the danger level at Mogholhat point under Lalmonirhat district headquarters.

Over a lakh of the flood affected people are living in inhuman conditions on different government roads and spars, and in schools, colleges, and flood shelters.

Our Faridpur correspondent reported that large areas including the district headquarters, Charvadrashan, Sadarpur, Bhanga, and Nagarkand upazilas were inundated. The floodwater already damaged seedbeds, newly cultivated paddy fields of aman, and vegetable beds.

Our Khagrachhari correspondent reported that the rain stopped there and the floodwater started to recede. Officials said the situation will improve fast if there is no more rain. Several thousand affected people took shelter on high lands.

Leave a Reply