The ongoing flood in the country freshly affected different parts of Kurigram and Tangail where hundreds of thousands of marooned people have little respite due to incessant rain and water flowing above the danger line in major rivers.
The major rivers have once again been flowing above the danger marks at different points in Sunamganj and Nilphamari creating a threat of flooding fresh areas.
In Kurigram, around 300,000 people of 56 unions in nine upazilas of Kurigram have remained marooned as of Tuesday, with the victims complaining there was not adequate supply of relief for them.
Around a hundred families have come under the fresh threat of flood as a 50-metre stretch of Teesta spar dyke collapsed on Monday.
Ariful Islam, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board (WDB) on Monday said: "The spar dyke contributes mainly to move river current away from its banks. We have tried our best but it broke due to landslides triggered by erosion.”
"Not too much water has been passing from the broken part. We will work and fill the embankment, so hopefully there won't be any problem after that.”
A 70-metre-stretch of WDB's Betil spar dyke collapsed into Jamuna due to onrush of floodwater on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 in Sirajganj's Belkuchi upazila | Dhaka TribuneAriful further said that the Dharla and Brahmaputra Rivers have been flowing above the danger line for the past few weeks and may rise further within the next 24 hours.
Many flood-affected people in the district have set up tents and taken shelter on the embankments or on the roads.
Amechha is one of the affected who have taken shelter on roads. Her house, yard, toilet and tube-well is submerged under chest-deep water.
She said: "My husband is a van driver, he has no earnings at the moment. We have to borrow rice and stove from people and eat only that. There is no scope of using toilets during the day and we haven't received any relief."
According to the district's relief and rehabilitation officer, Tk9 lakh in cash and 190 tons of rice and other foodstuffs have been tributed in Kurigram as of now.
In Tangail, a 20-year-old bridge built on the Jhinai River has broken down, suspending road communication between 15 to 20 villages in Basail upazila.
Kashil Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Mirza Rajik said the bridge had been declared risky by the authorities last year but people used it to walk and cross through as it saved travel expenses.
"I have arranged a mechanized boat with my money, so that people can cross over to their destinations," added Rajik.
Rojdid Ahmed, an engineer of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) from Basail upazila said: "Tender invitation process has been completed this year to build a 282-metre-bridge to replace the broken one. The construction work will begin soon."
According to the district administration's district relief and rehabilitation office, at least 305 villages in 42 unions have been flooded until Tuesday keeping at least 150,000 people marooned across the district .
In Sunamganj, a total of 7,118 families have taken refuge in shelter centres. Crops of 1,489 hectares of land and 360km of river banks have been damaged. The WDB has recorded 190 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
According to the Deputy Commissioner's Office, 865 tons of rice, 2,400 packets of dry food and Tk5,170,000 in cash have been distributed among the victims. Cow feed worth Tk2 lakh and baby food worth Tk2 lakh have also been distributed.
Md Zakirul Islam, acting chairman of Solukabad Union Parishad of Bishwambharpur Upazila, said that 10 villages of Solukabad Union are in danger because of the embankment of the river being damaged in six separate places.
Photo taken on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 shows chickens took refuge under bench in Kurigram as floodwaters and rain have been making lives harder both for people and their domesticated animals | Dhaka Tribune
Executive Engineer of Sunamganj Water Development Board Md Sabibur Rahman said that due to the upstream water and rains, the river has overflowed and the water level is also rising locally due to heavy rains. If the rainfall does not decrease, the situation will not improve.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Ahad said humanitarian aid activities are continuing in the affected areas. In addition to relief, water purification tablets, tin sheets and dry food are being provided.
In Nilphamari, water has been flowing 20 centimetres above the danger level since Tuesday morning at Dahlia Point, but it dropped by 6cm at 12pm and continues to flow at 14cm below the danger level.
Moinul Haque, chairman of Tepakhribari union of Dimla upazila, said that about 20,000 people from 3,245 families of Dimla in Nilphamari are in trouble again due to the water coming down from India.
Dimla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jayshree Rani Roy said the water level has risen again at Dalia Point for the fourth time. Local representatives are monitoring their respective areas.
She said that 1.77 tons of rice, 200 packets of dry food and Tk1.58 lakh in cash had been allocated for the first phase of floods. In the second phase, 60 metric tons of rice, 500 packets of dry food and TK1 lakh have been distributed.
Water level rising continues in Ganges basin
Amidst heavy downpour and incessant onrush of water from upstream over the past one week, the water level in Ganges basin has increased further escalating a flood situation in char (riverbed) and other low-lying areas in Rajshahi division.
Local office of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has recorded rising trend of water level at almost all points like Pankha, Rajshahi, Hardinge Bridge, Talbaria and Goalanda in the past 24 hours ending 9 am today, said Mukhlesur Rahman, Superintending Engineer of BWDB, reports BSS.
In Bogra, around 31,836 households, consisting 1.28 lakh people at 158 char and other low-lying villages, were affected by the floodwater which also submerged crops on 8,831 hectares of land in Bogra district, as the Jamuna River was following 88 cm above the danger mark at Sariakandi point.
In Naogaon, around 18,800 families have been affected so far in Sadar, Manda, Atrai and Raninagar Upazilas, while 600 other families in Shingra and Naldanga Upazilas in Natore districts, said Moinul Islam, Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi division.
In Sirajganj, around 3.37 lakh people of 676.5 square-kilometer low-lying areas were affected and standing crops on around 14,013 hectares of land were submerged in Sadar, Kazipur, Belkuchi, Chowhali, Shahjadpur and Ullapara Upazila in Sirajganj district.
ADC Moinul Islam said the district administrations and BWDB are closely monitoring the situation and taking instant steps, when and where necessary, during the deluge in Rajshahi division.
