Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– The flood situation worsened further in the country’s northern Sirajganj, Bogra and Gaibandha districts but remained static in Kurigram on Sunday.
Thousands of marooned people in the districts are suffering from shortage of shelter, drinking water and food, according to reports.
However, the authorities said they were distributing relief materials, including rice, among the flood-affected people.
But the sufferers claimed that the relief materials were not sufficient for them as their houses were inundated or eroded by floodwaters caused by heavy downpour and flow of rainwater from upstream.
In Kurigram, around 66,000 families became homeless in the last few days due to heavy flooding caused by rising water levels in the rivers Brahmaputra and Dharla.
The water in the river Jamuna was flowing 86 centimetres above the danger level yesterday. The floodwaters overflowed most roads and flooded many villages in 26 unions of four upazilas (sub-districts) in Gaibandha.
Around 300,000 people remained marooned in different shoal areas of the district while gushing water eroded about 300 houses along the Jamuna basin.
Abdur Rashid Mia of Ujan Boorial village in Sundarganj upazila, said “Water is everywhere. There is nothing left for us to cook. We are surviving on dried food for the last three days.”
Strong current in Jamuna was hitting the hard point at the western side of Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment, leaving it at the risk of erosion.
Water Development Board officials said they had detected the risky zones along the bank and were taking necessary steps for its protection.
A total of 1,70,000 people of 100 villages in Sirajganj got marooned, while about 15,000 people took shelter on the Brahmaputra Flood Control Embankment and other raised land. They were facing acute shortages of food and pure drinking water.
The houses of over 50,000 people in Sariakandi of Bogra got inundated due to floodwaters. The water at Sariakandi point in the Jamuna was flowing 90 centimetres above the danger limit.
Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre’s Executive Engineer Amirul Hossain said that the flood situation in the northern region remained unchanged on Sunday. The situation in the region will begin to improve from Monday.
Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque asked officials concerned to ensure the supply of emergency humanitarian assistance aid to the flood-affected people.
The government has allocated BDT 5.10 million and 1,950 tones of rice for the flood-affected people in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Sirajganj and Jamalpur districts.
BBN/SSR/AD-02July12-10:26 am (BST)
