Flood Situation Turns Grim in Parts of Bangladesh

The overall flood situation in Kurigram, Natore, Bogura and Sherpur districts have deteriorated further due to rise in water levels in various rivers, cutting off road communications at places and leaving thousands of people marooned.

According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, the situation is likely to worsen further in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Sunamganj, Sylhet and Netrakona districts in the next 24 hours while it will remain unchanged in Bogura, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Tangail, Manikganj, Natore, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Rajbari, Shariatpur and the low-lying areas of Dhaka district.

In Kurigram, the Dharla River was flowing 63cm above its danger level at Bridge point while the Brahmaputra 50cm beyond the red mark at Chilmari and 38cm above at Nunkhawa points on Wednesday. That means the situation is unlikely to improve overnight, said an official.

Besides, houses of 200 families at Burirhat in Razarhat Upazila were flooded as 50 metres of a 350-metre spar along the Teesta River at Burirhat point was washed away by floodwater.

The 350-metre spar was built in 1998 at a cost of Tk 3 crore. Of it, 150 metres are solid while the rest have been built with soil and blocks.

Though the authorities concerned have been placing sandbags for protecting the spar point but strong currents made the effort harder, forcing many people to move to safer places.

Ariful Islam, the executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said a portion of the spar was washed away by the strong current and steps will be taken to repair the spar once the floodwater recedes.

According to the District Relief and Rehabilitation Office, some 475 villages in nine Upazilas have been flooded this time while 500 families are at risk of riverbank erosion. Besides, 55,000 houses were affected by flooding and riverbank erosion.

In Sherpur, two people died in separate incidents in Sadar and Nakla Upazilas.

Of the deceased, Bhushi Mia, 50, of Bausha area in Nakla Upazila died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital as a snake bit him while fishing in the floodwater, said Zahidur Rahman, UNO of Nakla Upazila.