37,000 people still in shelters

More than 37,000 people are still staying in the shelters of Sylhet. They took refuge there after a devastating flash flood swept through the Sylhet division and some other parts of the country recently, leaving 95 people dead.

According to the Sylhet district administration, there are now 439 shelters in Sylhet district where 37,176 people are staying, reports UNB.

The flood rendered almost three million people homeless and destroyed as many as 40,091 houses. All the 13 upazilas of the district, including five municipalities, were hit hard by the flood.

The district administration has distributed relief materials among the flood victims. Sources said Tk 19 million in cash, 1,612 metric tons of rice and 19,918 packets of dry food have been distributed among the flood victims.

The flood situation improved throughout the past week and the people in shelters started to return to their homes gradually.

According to the water development board, the water level of Surma River went down by 10 cm at Kanaighat point and 4 cm at Sylhet point at 12:00 pm on Friday. However, the water level of the Kushiyara River remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, Sylhet witnessed a moderate shower on Friday. However, it is unlikely to increase the water level in the adjacent rivers, said AKM Niloy Pasha, deputy assistant engineer of Sylhet water development board.