Dhaka: Thousands of people have been flooded in different parts of the country. As the number of marooned people increases, so does the suffering. Many people have lost their houses and structures due to river erosion. They have lost shelter and are now lost. There is a crisis of pure drinking water, dry food and fodder in the affected areas. Besides, the condition is now deplorable due to various diseases.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board's Flood Forecasting and Warning Center said the situation is likely to improve in the near future. And in the middle of this month, the flood situation will improve across the country.
According to WDB report, the water level in the Ganges-Padma river is rising. This trend of rising water may continue for the next 24 hours. The water level in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna is decreasing, which may continue for the next 72 hours. The main rivers of the Upper Meghna Basin in the north-eastern part of the country are running low. The flood situation in the lower reaches of Rajbari, Faridpur, Munshiganj and Shariatpur districts may remain stable.
Flood Forecasting and Warning Center executive engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan said Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Tangail, Pabna, Manikganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Rajbari, Faridpur and Shariatpur districts are currently flooded. The water of eight rivers is flowing over the danger level at 19 points. The waters of Dharla, Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Turag, Kaliganga, Padma, Atrai and Dhaleshwari are flowing over the danger level.
The water of Padma river is flowing over the danger level at Sureshwar, Mawa, Bhagyakul and Goaland points. The water of Jamuna river is flowing over the danger level at Aricha, Mathura, Porabari, Sirajganj, Kazipur, Sariakandi, Bahadurabad, Saghata and Fulchhari. The water of Atrai river is at Baghabari, the water of Dhaleshwari is at Elasin, the water of Turag is at Kaliakair and the water of Kaliganga is at Taraghat is increasing. Besides, the water of Dharla is flowing over the danger level at Chilmari point of Kurigram and Brahmaputra.
Sirajganj: Water has started receding at various points of Jamuna river. In the last 24 hours, the water level of Jamuna River has decreased by 14 cm at Sirajganj Hard Point, 11 cm at Kazipur Point and 9 cm at Baghabari. However, water is still flowing over the danger level. The water level in the Jamuna River has been rising for more than three consecutive weeks and the water level has been decreasing since last Saturday evening. This brought relief to the flood- hit people but did not alleviate the suffering. Many educational institutions, playgrounds, roads, houses and cultivable lands of the district have been submerged in the flood waters.
Manikganj: At least 20,000 people have been trapped in flood waters in the remote Chars of Jamuna in Shibalaya upazila of Manikganj for the past two weeks. More than five hundred houses in the region are submerged in knee-deep water. The flood-hit people are in dire straits with their families and cattle. Again, many are leaving home and taking refuge in shelters and relatives' houses or high places. Again, many people are spending their days with their families in the house. None is taking care for any of these flood-hit people. The flood victims are going on without eating for one day. The locals feel that it is very important to distribute dry food, pure water and other relief items in the area, either publicly or privately.
Tangail: In the last 24 hours, the water level of the Jamuna River has decreased by eight centimeters but it is still flowing at 71 centimeters above the danger level. Of these, more than one and a half lakh people in seven upazillas of Tangail are living subhuman lives due to floods. Despite the acute shortage of pure water and dry food in the flood-hit areas, the flood-hit people complained of not getting relief.
Faridpur: The water level of Padma at Daulatdia Point in Goalanda was flowing at 74 cm above the danger level yesterday morning, 65 cm at Sengram of Pangsa and 29 cm at Mahendrapur in Rajbari Sadar. About 60,000 people from 24,000 families in at least 265 villages in Faridpur Sadar, Rajbari, Goaland, Pangsha, Daulatdia, Ujanchar, Sadarpur and Charbhadrasan areas have been living in subhuman conditions for a long time. There is a shortage of food, pure water and livestock in these areas.
Munshiganj: The water of Padma is increasing almost every day. The water is entering the lower part of Munshiganj. The riverside areas are being flooded. Hundreds of people are spending their days in marooned conditions. Water has intruded in Hasail-Banari, Kamarkhara, Dighirpar, Panchgaon of Tongibari upazila and low-lying villages of Kalma, Konaksar, Haldia, Kumarbhog and Medinimandal union of Louhajong upazilla. Due to the increase in water, it has also started entering the relatively high areas. There has been a crisis of pure water.
Rangpur: The erosion of Ghaghat river has started in Gangachara this time. The local graveyard is being eroded after the houses of six families were devoured. Several other families' houses and standing Aman fields, including roads, are under threat of erosion.
Rajbari: The water level in the Padma River continues to rise. It has submerged vast areas of the lowlands. The flood victims are suffering. There is a crisis of pure drinking water, dry food and fodder in the affected areas.
Shariatpur: The water of Padma has started rising again. At 8 am on Sunday, the water of the Padma River at Sureshwar point in Shariatpur overflowed 40 cm above the danger level.
Kurigram: The overall flood situation in Kurigram has remained unchanged even though the river water has decreased a bit. About 70,000 people are still marooned. On Saturday afternoon, the water level in Dharla was 30 cm and the water level in Brahmaputra was 11 cm. Crops of 26,405 hectares of land are submerged.
Gaibandha: The water level of Brahmaputra and Ghaghat rivers has started decreasing. From 3 pm on Saturday to 3 pm on Sunday, the water level of Brahmaputra decreased by 21 cm and flowed 21 cm above the danger level and the water of Ghaghat river decreased by 22 cm and flowed 7 cm below the danger level. As a result, the overall flood situation has improved. However, people are still suffering due to lack of pure drinking water in riverside areas, chars and submersion rural roads.
Nilphamari: The flood situation of Teesta river in Nilphamari has further improved. The river flowed 30 cm below the danger level at Teesta Barrage point in Dalia at 12 noon on Sunday. On last Saturday at 3 pm the water flow was 20 cm below.