A total of 68 people have died in the ongoing flood in different parts of the country till yesterday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)
According to DGHS, 24 people died in floods in the past 24 hours in the country.
So far, 46 people have died in Sylhet division alone.
Among the deceased, 20 people drowned in the floodwaters, two died in lightning strikes and one succumbed to diarrhoea.
The deaths were recorded from May 17 to June 23.
Dr Himangshu Lal Roy, Sylhet divisional health director, told Dhaka Tribune that the highest number of 26 people have died in Sunamganj while 16 have died in Sylhet, three in Moulvibazar and one in Habiganj.
Meanwhile, local people have reported that bodies of flood victims have started to surface as the waters have started to recede in some areas in Sylhet.
Of a total of 185 flood-affected upazilas, 29 upazilas are in Sylhet division, 16 in Rangpur division, 19 in Mymensingh division and one in Chittagong division.
Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kurigram are the worst-hit districts where 13, 11, 10 and 9 upazilas were affected by floods respectively.
A total of 872 flood shelters have been opened, while 2,006 medical teams are working to provide various health services to the flood-affected people.
Over 49,000 families marooned in Tangail
As many as 49,417 families in Tangail are still marooned despite the water levels at Jamuna River going down.
Around 6,300 hectares of cropland were inundated as several low-lying areas in six upazilas were flooded, according to the agriculture department.
The Deputy Commissioner’s office said that around 67.75 square kilometres of land has been flooded in the district.
Water levels in 45 rivers rise, 64 fall
Water levels at 45 river stations monitored by the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) have marked a rise while 64 stations recorded a fall.
Among the 109 monitored stations, water levels at 19 stations are flowing above danger level, according to a bulletin issued by the FFWC yesterday.
The Brahmaputra at Hatia, Chilmari and Fulchari, the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi, Kazipur, Serajganj and Porabari, the Dharla at Kurigram, the Ghagot at Gaibandha, the Atrai at Baghbari, the Surma at Kanaighat and Sylhet, the Kushiyara at Amalshid, Sheola and Markuli, the Old Surma at Derai, the Someswari at Kalmakanda and the Titas at Brahmanbaria are flowing above danger level by 84cm, 32cm, 45cm, 44cm, 54cm, 53cm, 45cm, 40cm, 19cm, 27cm, 12cm, 99cm, 19cm, 188cm, 65cm, 11cm, 77cm,63cm and 25cm respectively.
Flood situation improving in northeastern, northern Bangladesh
Officials said the flood situation is gradually improving in the northeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh while other low-lying areas of the country are likely to be inundated for a short period of time.
"The flood situation in the northeastern and northern region is improving as flood waters have started receding from affected areas. As the pace of receding flood waters is very slow, floods might linger in the country," a Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) spokesman Md Arifuzzaman Bhuyan told BSS.
"Water now continued to flow above the danger lines in two of the country's four major river
Situation improves in Jamalpur as well
The water level in the Jamuna River at Bahadurabad Ghat point has reduced by 17cm and is currently flowing 40cm above the danger level, slightly improving the overall flood situation in Jamalpur.
Meanwhile, a child named Mostakim drowned in flood waters in Islampur area of Jamalpur yesterday. Police said that the child was playing near his house and at one point got submerged by floodwaters.
Army chief distributes relief items in Sunamganj
Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed yesterday visited Sunamganj and distributed relief items among flood-hit people.
He said that the efforts to assist the people in flood-hit areas by the Bangladesh Army will continue even after water recedes from these areas.
This was his second visit to flood-hit areas in a week.
Navy reaches flood-hit region with food assistance
Bangladesh Navy yesterday distributed relief items among flood-hit people in Dorerpar, Gobindanagar, Piyarinagar, Majumdari, Kandahati, Alipur and Chalbon areas of Sunamganj.
A press release of Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the matter.
Members of the force distributed relief material packed in sacks to hundreds of people marooned in flood water in the areas.
IGP visits Sylhet, Sunamganj
The Bangladesh Police chief has visited Sylhet and Sunamganj and distributed relief materials among those affected by floods in the two districts.
InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, while inspecting the flood-hit areas on Thursday afternoon, said millions had been affected by the sudden floods, and that the government, locals, administration and police were working in concert to tackle the situation.
He said the flood situation was improving, adding that if there was no rainfall, the flood situation would improve further.
Earlier, the police chief went to Tahirpur Badaghat School on a helicopter.
BGB distributes relief items in Sunamganj
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have distributed relief items among flood-hit people in Sunamganj.
The relief items were carried through helicopters in distant areas of flood-hit Tahirpur Upazila yesterday.
BGB sources said they distributed relief among one thousand families yesterday.
CPB reaches Sunamganj villages
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) distributed relief items among flood-hit people in Kalipur, Ganipur and Hason Boshot villages of Sunamganj yesterday.
Party general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince along with other leaders of the party distributed the items.
Prince said that the suffering of the people knows no bounds in the flood-hit areas which is unprecedented. He alleged that the administration is not reaching out to the people as they should during a disaster of this magnitude.
Flight operations resume at Sylhet airport
Flight operations at Sylhet MAG Osmani International Airport resumed yesterday after six days.
A London-bound Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight left the airport at 9:45am, confirmed the airport’s Assistant Director Nazrul Islam.
Flight operations at the airport were suspended on June 17 due to the deteriorating flood situation in the region.
Dhaka-Mymensingh-Netrokona train service resumes after 5 days
Rail communications were resumed on the Dhaka-Mymensingh-Netrokona-Mohanganj route yesterday after remaining suspended for five days.
Golam Rabbani, station master of Barhatta Railway Station, said the Dhaka-bound Haor Express train stranded at Mohanganj Railway Station left for Dhaka this morning.
The train communication on the route remained suspended since June 18 morning after the railway bridge no 23 near Islampur collapsed due to flood water.
Cellular coverage restored at 1,166 sites in flood-hit districts
Telecom operators have swung into emergency mode to restore their networks in the three flood-affected districts of Bangladesh --Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrakona.
So far, cellular coverage has been restored at 1,166 of 2,528 sites in these districts, the Post and Telecommunication Ministry has said in a release.
Three telecom operators -- Internet Service Provider (ISP), Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited (BTCL) and Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) -- provide services in these three districts.
Flood-hit educational institutions asked to inform DSHE
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has sought information about the current flood-affected educational institutions and students across Bangladesh.
A letter signed by DSHE Director General Prof Nehal Ahmed was sent to regional and deputy directors of the country on Wednesday.
Institution heads are asked to send their reports to the Monitoring and Evaluation wing's e-mail — [email protected]
On Saturday, DSHE directed authorities to use all nearby educational institutions as temporary shelters in the flood-hit areas.
