The overall flood situation in Ganges basin has further improved as the water level is declining constantly in most of the rivers for the last couple of days due to dwindling of the onrush of water from the upstream hilly catchment areas.
Of the 30 river points monitored in the Ganges basin on Tuesday, water level receded at 25 points, while increased at five points, according to the data provided by Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
However, the rivers were flowing below the danger level at 29 points, while above the danger level at one point.
Meanwhile, the marooned people have started getting back to their normal lives for the last couple of days as water-logging condition is improving continuously in different low-lying areas of Sirajganj, Bogra, Natore, Naogaon, Rajshahi, and Pabna districts in Rajshahi division.
“We recorded falling trends in most rivers, including Mahananda, Ganges, Padma, and the downstream rivers and tributaries of the Ganges basin today [Tuesday],” Mukhlesur Rahman, superintending engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), told BSS.
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He said water level of the Ganges River further declined by seven centimetres (cm) each at Pankha in Chapainawabganj and at Hardinge Bridge points, four cm at Rajshahi and two cm at Talbaria point afresh at 9am on Tuesday.
Mukhlesur said Ganges River was flowing 204 cm, 213 cm, 150 cm, and 112 cm below the danger level at Pankha, Rajshahi, Hardinge Bridge, and Talbaria points respectively. Water level of the Padma River declined by six cm further at Goalundo point, and the river was flowing 41 cm below the danger level at the point on Tuesday morning, he added.
Water level in Atrai River went up by four cm at Mohadevpur point in Naogaon district afresh, while receded by one cm at Atrai point.
FFWC Executive Engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan said a falling trend of water levels at the three points of the Jamuna River has been continuing for the last couple of days. The water level receded by eight cm at Sariakandi point in Bogra, nine cm at Kazipur point in Sirajganj, and 11 cm at Sirajgonj point on Tuesday morning.
The Jamuna River was flowing 127 cm, 108 cm, and 118 cm below the danger level at Sariakandi, Kazipur, and Sirajganj points respectively.
Of the 16 river points both in Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins, being monitored in many districts under Rajshahi division regularly, water levels declined at all the points, and the rivers were flowing below the danger level at all the 16 points.
Help for the worst-affected
Meanwhile, the local administrations have been distributing relief materials in the worst-affected areas continuously since the flood began.
Some 865,000 people from 217,000 families affected badly by the flood have, so far, received relief materials to mitigate their livelihood related hardships in different districts under Rajshahi division.
The government, as part of its instant humanitarian assistance to cope with the disastrous situation, had allocated 1,521 tons of rice, Tk38.09 lakh in cash, 16,580 packets of dry-food, Tk21 lakh for baby food, and Tk40 lakh for animal feed.
Moinul Islam, additional commissioner of Rajshahi division, said distribution of the allocated relief materials among the affected families in the division is in the final stage.
Apart from this, 2,239 tons of rice, Tk37.41 lakh, 3,620 packets of dry food, Tk3 lakh for baby food, and Tk6 lakh for animal feed remain in stock for distribution.
Simultaneously, the health department has undertaken all possible measures to prevent any outbreak of water-borne diseases among the flood affected people amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 4,337 patients were recorded to be suffering from various water-related diseases and 21 deaths occurred mainly due to drowning and snakebite since July 1, sources said.
