Sylhet flood: 750 edu insts closed

At least 750 educational institutions in Sylhet have been closed due to onrush of hilly waters from the upstream and incessant rains, said Deputy Commissioner Mojibar Rahman.

According to the district primary education office, floodwaters have entered some 550 educational institutions in the district.

Besides, 200 educational institutions have been designated as shelters for the flood-hit residents of the district, forcing students to stay away from their academic activities. All the rivers of the district are full to the brim due to the onrush of hilly waters from the upstream and incessant rains over the past several days, according to officials.

The low-lying areas of the district have already been flooded, rendering nearly one lakh people marooned.

There are 1,477 primary schools in the district and 400 schools were affected till Wednesday. Goainghat, Kanaighat, Jointapur, Jakiganj and Companiganj upazilas are the worst hit.

District education officer Shakhawat Ershad feared that new areas in the district could be flooded soon due to the rise in water levels of all the rivers in the district.

Besides, sources said that 150 secondary schools and madrasas have been inundated due to flooding.

Local sources said the overall flood situation in the district worsened further Thursday morning, with some rivers still flowing above the danger level due to the onrush of hilly waters from India.

Although the showers have subsided in the district in the last two days, the water levels in rivers and haors of Sylhet rose two more inches due to the onrush the morning. According to the administration, at least 30 areas of Sylhet city have been flooded.

The flood situation has also worsened in 13 upazilas of the district - Companiganj, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Jaintapur and Sylhet Sadar upazilas to name a few.

The floods have affected 20 lakh people in Sylhet district and city.

Meanwhile, the floods have triggered power cuts in different upazilas and Sylhet city, hitting hard some 11.5 lakh consumers of Bangladesh Power Development Board and Palli Bidyut Samiti.