With the water level of the Brahmaputra, Dhororla, and Teesta Rivers having fallen, the overall flood situation started improving in the country’s northern district.
Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board, Kurigram Mahfuzur Rahman, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the Brahmaputra River’s water level had stayed at 21cm below danger level at Chilmari point and 22cm at Nun Khawa point. Moreover, water in the Teesta River stayed at 57cm below danger level at Kawnia point and the water of Dhorola River was 11cm below danger level at Setu point.
But flood-affected people living in low-lying areas are still suffering as their homesteads are still being inundated. They are afflicted by an acute crisis of food and pure drinking water.
Standing crops, including aman paddy, on a vast tract of land were damaged by the flood water.
The flood-affected people said no relief from the government, or even non-government organisations (NGOs), had reached these flood-hit areas.
During a visit to several areas, the correspondent found that flood-affected people are living only on dry food, as they cannot cook since flood waters had intruded into their homes.
They demanded the government arrange dry food for them immediately to save them from starvation.
Afzal Hossain, a resident of Parbotipur village in Sadar upazila, said: “Although the flood situation has improved, we are facing different problems.”
“We have been near starvation for the last six days, as we are not getting sufficient food.”
Abdul Gafur, chairman of Jatrpur union parishad, said they already had allocated 10 kilograms of rice for each flood-affected family.
ABM Azad, deputy commissioner of Kurigram, told the Dhaka Tribune that the district administration had allocated 50 tonnes of rice for the flood- affected residents.
In Gaibandha, jute and vegetable on the char land and river basin areas of Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata upazilas remain under floodwaters, worrying farmers more about their crops.
Apart from this, erosion has taken a serious turn at several places along the western side of the river of the upazilas, threatening those who live on the river bank.
Many erosion victims have taken shelter on the nearby flood control embankment, and spend their days and nights in hardship with the domestic animals and poultry.
The Ratanpur and Singria points of Fulchhari upazila are vulnerable as the Brahmaputra River has very recently intensified erosion at these points.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board is trying to check erosion through dumping geo-textile sand bags at the points.
