Home submerged, mother takes shelter in auto-rickshaw on culvert with children
With waist-deep water inside her home and her bedding and furniture soaked, Taslima Akter was at a loss. She didn't know how to protect her two-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son in such conditions. With her stove submerged, she can not even cook. Eventually, she decided to leave her home.
Finding no safe shelter nearby except a culvert, the family moved there, where many residents had already taken shelter with their livestock and essential belongings. Taslima's husband, Shahab Uddin, had parked his auto-rickshaw on the elevated culvert to protect it from the rising water. The family then took shelter inside the vehicle.
The incident took place in Ward No. 4 of Puichhari Union in Chattogram's Banshkhali upazila.
Even as late as Thursday evening, Taslima was still living in the vehicle. She had her meals there, while her two-year-old daughter, Jannatul Mawa, slept on one of the seats wrapped in a quilt. Her son, Borhan Uddin, stood nearby, keeping watch. Elsewhere on the culvert, other villagers were seen huddling under tarps along with their cattle and salvaged goods.
While a few families managed to arrange cooked meals, the majority survived on dry food. Their staples consisted of bananas, puffed rice (muri), and flattened rice (chira). Many residents said they had not anticipated such severe flooding and would have prepared had they known.
Even as late as Thursday evening, Taslima was still living in the vehicle. She had her meals there, while her two-year-old daughter, Jannatul Mawa, slept on one of the seats wrapped in a quilt. Her son, Borhan Uddin, stood nearby, keeping watch. Elsewhere on the culvert, other villagers were seen huddling under tarps along with their cattle and salvaged goods.
Residents noted that although the rain paused briefly on Wednesday, the subsequent intermittent showers made the day miserable. As government relief has been limited, not everyone has received aid, leaving many worried about their next meal.
"On Wednesday night, the water suddenly rose into the yard," said Taslima’s husband, Shahabuddin. "It kept increasing until it was waist-deep. Finding no other way, we took shelter in our auto-rickshaw on the culvert. I don’t know how many more days we will have to live like this."
Another resident, Nazir Ahmed, said the hill runoff had brought unprecedented suffering to the community.
"We have never experienced hardship like this before. We are struggling for food and drinking water. We don't know when this suffering will end," he said.