Thousands marooned as rivers burst banks

Thousands of people in many areas of Barishal and Sylhet remained marooned as the flood situation worsened in the regions.

According to local sources, due to tidal bores, five of the 23 rivers in Barishal division breached the danger mark Monday night.

Ahsan Alam, a surveyor of the Barishal Water Development Board, said that the Surma and Meghna rivers flowed 3cm and 41cm, respectively, above the danger mark in Daulatkhan and Tajumuddin upazilas.

Similarly, the Tentulia, Bishkhali, and Biskhali rivers flowed 5cm, 6cm, and 7cm, respectively, beyond the red level.

Officials of the Water Development Board said they were concerned about riverbank erosion in the coastal areas of the division.

“We’re trying to stop the erosion by placing geobags,” said the surveyor.

Meanwhile, the low-lying areas of the division were also inundated, causing immense suffering to the residents.

Besides, heavy rains and the onrush of upstream hilly waters worsened the flood situation in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts, leaving thousands of villages inundated.

In Sylhet, the low-lying areas of the district have been flooded due to the onrush of water from the upstream, rendering nearly one lakh people marooned, officials said.

In Sunamganj, all rivers of the district were flowing above the danger mark due to the onrush of hill water and torrential rains for the last couple of days.

Surma was flowing 7.70 cm above its danger level at Nabinagar Point till 2pm on Monday, inundating the Boro paddy fields in the district.

The road network among Sylhet Sadar, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Jaintiapur and Companiganj upazilas has almost collapsed because of the flood.

Residents of low-lying areas in Sunamganj town have been forced to leave their houses, with the flood situation worsening in the wake of the Surma River breaching the danger mark, said local sources.

Due to incessant rains in neighbouring India’s Meghalaya district over the last few days and onrush of upstream hilly waters, many rivers in Sunamganj have breached the danger mark.

“Water is flowing above the danger level at Sholaghar point of the Surma River in the town, along with other rivers like Jadukata River in Tahirpur. Adding to the woes, 102mm of rainfall have been recorded in Sunamganj in the last 24 hours,” said Jahurul Islam, executive engineer of the Water Development Board.

Meanwhile, in Chhatak upazila, water levels have crossed 152cm in the Surma River, said Md Mamunur Rahman, Chatak upazila nirbahi officer.

Water was entering the residential areas of Shoalaghar, Nabinagar, Dharargaon, Jail Road, North Arpin Nagar, Tegharia and Barapara in the Sunamganj municipal area on Tuesday morning.

On the outskirts of the town, villages along the riverbank like Ibrahimpur, Sadargarh and low-lying areas of Chatak, Tahirpur, Derai, Shalla and Jamalganj were also flooded.

Road communication has been snapped, with the crucial Gobindaganj-Chhatak Road going under water. Moreover, Tahirpur and Bishwambarpur upazilas have been cut off from Sunamganj town, with the connecting road getting submerged.

Bimal Chandra Shom, deputy director of Sunamganj Agricultural Department, said, “500 hectares of Boro land are under water in Sunamganj Sadar, Tahirpur, Chatak and Doarabazar upazilas. We estimate crop damages to the tune of Tk 5 crore.”