About 1.2 million people were adversely affected as the flood situation developed further in Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Kurigram and Gaibandha until Thursday morning.
In Jamalpur, around 600,000 people have been remaining marooned in Jamalpur as the overall flood situation has worsened in the district.
Although relief goods have been allocated for the flood affected people in six municipalities and 50 unions under seven upazilas, local leaders say that it is not capable of meeting the current demand.
The Jamuna has been flowing 129cm and 39cm respectively above the danger line in Bahadurabad Ghat point and Jagannathganj ghat point until 9am on Thursday morning.
Locals stranded in Kurigram floodwaters on Thursday, July 16, 2020 | CollectedJamalpur Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Engineer Abu Sayeed confirmed the matter.
Rail link in Jamalpur-Dewanganj route has been suspended as the railway tracks have submerged under floodwaters.
Meanwhile, different points in 50-metre-stretch of Mahishbathan-Mahmudpur embankment in Madarganj upazila have been breached, keeping locals in 10 more villages under the threat of flood.
Madarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Aminul Islam said: "The local union parishad member has been told to repair the embankment as soon as possible."
Md Aminul Islam, deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district said 739 hectares of Aman seedbed, 16,066 hectares of Aus paddy field and 21,027 hectares Jute field were inundated in floodwaters.
Jamalpur Civil Surgeon Dr Pranay Kanti Das said 80 medical teams have been formed to aid the flood affected people in the district.
Jamalpur WDB Executive Engineer Abu Sayeed said Jamuna has been demonstrating a comparatively slower rate of rise.
Water level may decrease a little bit and they could predict the matter accurately after monitoring the river for the next 24 hours, added Sayeed.
Md Nayeb Ali, the district's relief and rehabilitation officer, said until now 310 tons of rice, Tk12,50,000 in cash, 4,000 packets of dried food and fodder worth Tk2 lakh is being distributed to the flood affected people across the district.
In Sirajganj, around 215,000 people of 47,217 thousand families in 214 villages have been affected as the flood situation worsened , said Abdur Rahim, the district's relief and rehabilitation officer.
Altogether 187 houses, 35 educational institutions had to sustain partial or complete damage in those areas. Moreover, 14,013 hectares of farmland have been inundated.
Stairs of Sirajganj town protection embankment has been marking the rise in the water level of Jamuna River on Thursday, July 16, 2020 | CollectedAs distribution of Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice is already ongoing in the district, additional relief-- which is generally negligible in amount-- had not been allocated for the flood-affected, sources said.
Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner Dr Faruk Ahmed said the rate of water level rise is lower than the previous day. "We have all kinds of preparations to deal with the flood in the district."
In Kurigram, Rowmari Upazila Parishad Chairman Sheikh Abdullah said: "Around 200,000 people have been remaining marooned in the upazila. There is no alternative but to increase the amount of relief support for the flood affected.
Voicing a similar statement, Rowmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Al Imran said: "An emergency meeting was called to discuss the current situation by Md Zakir Hossain, state minister for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, and the lawmaker from Kurigram-4 constituency. Decisions would be taken to support the flood affected and regarding situation control."
In Gaibandha, all the major rivers have been flowing above the danger mark due to incessant rain and hill waters upstream of Bangladesh triggering floods that marooned 25,000 more people on Thursday.
About 150,000 people of 26 unions under four upazilas of the district have been remaining marooned.
Primary school waterlogged in Saghata upazila Gaibandha on Thursday, July 16, 2020 | Dhaka Tribune
Gaibandha WDB Executive Engineer Md Mokhlesur Rahman said due to the abnormal water level rise, embankment by the Brahmaputra River at two points in Phulchari upaizla and embankment by the Ghagot River at two points in Sadar upazila are under threat of collapsing.
During an on spot visit, this correspondent found, water has been passing over the embankment near the Gaibandha-Saghata regional road and several sluice gates are under threat of collapsing.
If the embankment is breached it would terminate road communication between Gaibandha Sadar and Saghata upazilas.
Locals are trying to protect the embankment through dropping geo sand-bags which are supposed to reduce the strength of river current, thus decreasing the water pressure.
