Bangladesh
Flood situation
1 million families are watertight
The water has started to recede. Many areas are still isolated. Millions of people are trapped.
own reporter
Dhaka
Published: 25 August 2024, 00:04
Share it
follow
Chickens were swept away from the farm by flood water. This man is going to the shelter with two-one that he has managed to salvage. Feni near the South East Degree College shelter yesterday afternoon Photo: Jewel Shiel
The flood situation in the country has improved somewhat as the rain has subsided. Water has started coming down in many places. However, the situation is still bad in many upazilas of Feni, Noakhali, Comilla. Among them, at least 100,000 people are trapped in the rural areas of Feni. The mobile phone network was not working well in the flood-affected areas of Feni till Saturday evening. As a result, there was no clear idea about the actual situation there.
There is a shortage of dry food and fresh water in flood affected areas. In many places volunteers are unable to reach with relief.
According to the government, 18 people have died in the country till yesterday evening due to floods. Among them, 5 people died in Chittagong, 4 people in Comilla, 3 people in Noakhali, 3 people in Cox’s Bazar, 1 person in Brahmanbaria, 1 person in Feni and 1 person in Lakshmipur.
1 million families are watertight
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 11 districts of the country have been affected by floods since August 20 till yesterday. They are Feni, Comilla, Chittagong, Khagrachari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Laxmipur and Cox’s Bazar. 77 upazilas of these districts have been affected. A total of 9 lakh 79 thousand 901 families have become watertight. The number of affected people is 50 lakh 93 thousand 530. 769 medical teams are operating in medical services.
The Inter-Services Public Relations Department (ISPR) said that various units and contingents of the Bangladesh Armed Forces are working tirelessly to rescue flood victims in Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Comilla, Feni, Chittagong and Khagrachari.
Millions of people are trapped in the rural areas of Feni
This time in the districts where the severity of floods is high, one of them. Seven members of a family have been stuck for four days in the North Tongariro Hajipur area of Chania Union No. 10 of Feni Sadar Upazila. They cannot be contacted. No boat can go to the rescue. A member of that family is Farzana Akhter, a teacher by profession in Chittagong city. He reported this information to Prothom Alo.
Deputy Assistant Director of Fire Service and Civil Defense of Chittagong District Mohammad Abdur Razzak told Delister News last night that their four teams rescued 27 people yesterday in Feni. Talking to local residents and volunteers, they believe that at least one lakh people are still trapped in their homes.
# 11 districts affected by floods: Feni, Comilla, Chittagong, Khagrachari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Laxmipur and Cox’s Bazar.
# 18 people died in seven districts till yesterday.
# The number of people affected is about 51 lakh.
# A total of 3 thousand 513 shelters have been opened.
# More than 3 lakh people are in shelters.
# 769 medical teams are operating in medical services.
The water has started to reced
Six upazilas of Feni district – Chagalnaia, Fulgazi, Parashuram, Feni Sadar, Dagonbhuiyan and Sonagazi – are completely flooded. Many have taken shelter in local schools and colleges, mosques and temple buildings. The shortage of clean water and food has become more pronounced there.
Relief trucks from Chittagong and volunteers involved in rescue operations are unable to reach remote villages. They are giving relief in the villages along the road. The volunteers said that they rescued at least 70 people from different villages yesterday from seven in the morning to the afternoon.
Flooding in Feni has taken a terrible form since last Wednesday evening. However, due to the lack of rain for the last three days, some areas of Feni Sadar are flooded.
Suffering in old age
Gomti river embankment broke on Thursday night due to heavy rains and torrential downpours from India. 105 villages of Comilla’s Burichong Upazila were flooded till yesterday afternoon. Burichong Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sahida Akhtar told Delister News that 175,000 people of 9 unions have been affected by Gomtir dam failure. More than 10,000 people are in shelters.
Many people in flash flood affected areas could not go to shelters. Many of them have taken a position on the roof of the house. There is a shortage of boats and drinking water for movement there. Such a scene was seen in Bharsar, Ichapura and Kharatha, Bakshimul, Rajapur areas of Burichong upazila yesterday afternoon. The concerned persons said that although the relief was distributed in Birmitrapur, Sadikpur, Anandnagar, Sholanal, it was not sufficient.
Suffering in old age
It can be seen on the ground that many people have taken relief aid on the Comilla-Burichong road. But those who took the microbus had to come back. Knee-deep water and strong currents at various places on the road. Relief is being given on the main road with tractors and pickup vans. Those who took the boat in a pickup van were able to rescue people from inside the village.
Abdul Latif, Supervising Engineer of Comilla Water Development Board, said that the water of Gomti River is still above the dangerous limit.
In Comilla’s Nangalkot, Manoharganj and Chauddagram, although the flood water has receded, there is a shortage of dry food and clean water. The local residents feel that relief assistance is urgently needed in these areas.
Deputy Commissioner of Comilla Khandaker Mu Mushfiqur Rahman said that the distribution of relief materials is going on for the flood-affected people. He said, “All the educational institutions of Durgat area have been declared as shelters. Dry food, saline and medicines are stocked for flood affected people. The distribution of relief materials is continuing.
Noakhali is deteriorating somewhere, improving somewhere
There was no rain in Noakhali in the last 24 hours. The flood situation in Noakhali Sadar, Kabirhat, Companyganj and Subarnachar upazilas has improved somewhat.
However, the flood situation in Senbagh, Sonaimuri and Begumganj upazilas has deteriorated. And the flood situation of Chatkhil upazila remains practically unchanged.
Senbag Upazila Executive Officer Jisan bin Majed told Daily Star News that the flood situation in Senbagh has worsened compared to the previous day. The situation is deteriorating due to flood water coming from the neighboring district of Feni. He said that about 20,000 people have already taken shelter in 125 temporary shelters in the upazila.
Yesterday morning, on the surface of Begumganj Upazila, Chowmuhani Municipality, Ganipur, Karimpur, Eklaspur and Laxminarayanpur areas, water was seen from knee to waist in almost every house. Most of the residences are submerged in knee-deep water. Water trapped people are living an extremely inhuman life.
Water is receding in different places
Although the water has receded somewhat, five upazilas of Lakshmipur district are still flooded. Lakshmipur Water Development Board Executive Engineer Nahid-Uz Zaman Khan said that compared to Friday, the water had decreased a little yesterday.
Laxmipur Deputy Commissioner Suraiya Jahan said that six and a half lakh people are suffering due to waterlogging. Ramganj, Kamalnagar and Ramgati upazilas are more affected. The administration is giving relief including dry food to the people of the affected areas.
At least 20 roads of 10 unions and municipalities including the main road in Chittagong’s Rangunia have become impassable. Although the water has receded in some parts of the upazila, the plantations of Gumai Bill, known as grain stores, are under water. Farmers are afraid that if there is water for a few more days, the Aman seedlings will be damaged.
Flood water has started receding from six upazilas of Cox’s Bazar. Even though the flood situation has improved a little, people are not suffering. At least 45,000 houses are under water and there is a severe shortage of food and fresh water. Deputy Commissioner (Acting) Vibhishan Kanti Das said that 85 metric tons of rice allocated for the flood victims is being delivered door to door.
Water is receding in different places
The flood water has started receding in Brahmanbaria’s Akhaura. Till last Friday evening, the water level at Gangasagar point of Howrah river in the upazila was 5.58 meters. Yesterday it fell 51 cm below the danger line.
Due to the disconnection of the communication system, the passage of passengers to India through Akhaura immigration has been closed since last Wednesday morning.
However, the flood situation has worsened in Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria. 15 thousand 500 people of 2 thousand 350 families of 26 villages of three unions of the upazila are in water-tight condition. Due to the collapse of two junctions on the Kasba-Nayanpur road, the communication between Comilla and Brahmanbaria along with Kasba on the regional road is closed. Besides, most of the roads of the three unions have been submerged in water and the communication system has been cut off.
3 lakh people in shelters
Yesterday, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief said that a total of 3,513 shelters have been opened for the victims in the affected areas. 3 lakh 1 thousand 993 people have been sheltered in these shelters. District Commissioners in flood-affected districts have been given necessary instructions to work in coordination with anti-discrimination student movement coordinators, army, navy, medical teams and other volunteers.
