More people in Atrai upazila in Naogaon and Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi have been marooned amid the erosion of flood control embankments caused by onrushing floodwater from the upstream in the past 24 hours.
In Rajshahi, houses and croplands have been inundated after a 200-feet stretch of flood protection embankment from Peergonj Bazar to Meerpur in Bagmara upazila was breached in the early hours of Friday.
Bagmara Upazila Chairman Anil Kumar Sarker told journalists that the condition of the marooned people has become deplorable due to houses and standing crops being inundated.
Around 50,000 people of Kalikapur, Ahsanganj, Panchupur and Bisha unions under Atrai upazila are stranded as different parts of the flood control embankment were eroded, said Abdul Latif, a local of Parmohanghosh village in Bagmara.
Most of the areas of Shibpur village adjacent to Upazila Parishad office have gone underwater, leaving thousands of people marooned. Many of them have taken shelter on the embankment or on elevated roadsides to be away from the flood.
In Naogaon, rivers have been flowing through Sadupur point of Atrai-Naogaon road and on Atrai-Porakhali road. Water continues to flow over the Kasiabari sluice gate and on different parts of Atrai-Bandhaikhara road.
Movement of all sorts of vehicles through the roads has been restricted due to the flood. Movement of heavy vehicles through Atrai-Naogaon, Atrai-Bandhaikhara, Atrai-Kaliganj, and Atrai-Singra has also been suspended temporarily by the concerned authorities.
Kaosar Hossain, agriculture officer of Atrai upazila, said standing crops on around 2,057 hectares of land were inundated by the floodwaters caused by erosion of embankment in the upazila.
Atrai Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sanaul Islam said 1,800 flood-affected people have already been given 10 kilograms of relief rice each.
River water still flowing above danger line
Muhammad Arifuzzaman, executive engineer of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, said the Atrai has been flowing 7 cm below the danger level at Atrai point on Saturday morning and has started receding.
He also said the Jamuna has been flowing 117cm, 104cm and 96cm respectively above the danger mark at Sariakandi point in Bogra and two different points in Sirajganj.
Besides, the Gur River is flowing 50cm above the danger mark at Shingra point in Natore. The Atrai River has been flowing 100 centimeter above the danger level at Baghabari point in Sirajganj district and both of these rivers are showing a rising trend over the past 24 hours until 9am on Saturday.
Crops have also been affected
Meanwhile, around 11,682 hectares of croplands have, so far, become submerged by the floodwaters in different districts of Rajshahi division, officials said.
Various crops including recently planted aush and aman paddy, aman seedbeds, and vegetable plants were affected due to the swelling of rivers caused by heavy rainfall and onrushing water from upstream.
According to sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 4,725 hectares of Aush paddy, 2,700 hectares of Aman seedlings, 1,932 hectares of Aman plants and 503 hectares of Aman seedbeds were either completely or partially affected by the deluge in Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Bogra, and Sirajganj.
“We have, so far, recorded crops on 7,542 hectares of land adversely affected in Rajshahi, Naogaon, and Natore districts,” said Sudhendra Nath Roy, Additional Director of DAE, Rajshahi.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sanaul Islam said each of the 1,800 affected people had already been given 10kg of rice as relief.
A large number of villagers have also been marooned after the erosion of the flood control embankment at seven points in Manda Upazila in Naogaon. Various seasonal crops on around 1,620 hectares of land in the upazila were also affected as those were inundated.
In Sirajganj, crops on around 3,700 hectares of land of 28,712 farmers were affected as the Jamuna River has been flowing above danger marks at all the Sirajganj, Baghabari, and Kajipur points.
In Bogra, crops on around 340 hectares of land of 2,180 farmers have, so far, been affected by the floodwaters as Jamuna has been following 126cm above the danger mark at Sariakandi point.
