Floods worsen in Sylhet after embankment breaks
A river embankment at the source of Surma and Kushiyara rivers broke at the Amolshid area of Zakiganj upazila, Sylhet at midnight on Thursday. Water is now flowing through the broken embankment and flooding vast area in Zakiganj upazila, worsening the flood situation in Sylhet.
A source from the local authorities said, the water level is rising in the nine unions and one city corporation that were already flooded. Water from the Barak river in India is gushing into the Surma and Kushiyara rivers rapidly.
Abul Hashim (36), a farmer from Amolshid village, said that water flowing down from the hills damaged 20 feet of the embankment. The flow of the water gradually damaged the dyke further. By 9:15 AM on Friday, at least 60 feet of the embankment was broken. The residents of the Amolshid and Phillakandi villages, situated adjacent to the embankment, have suffered huge losses. These two villages have been flooded the most.
The locals said, Zakiganj is nearly 92 kilometres away from Sylhet. It’s situated in the furthest corner of the district. India’s Barak river branches into Surma and Kushiyara rivers at the Amolshid area. There is an embankment in place in Amolshid which absorbs the first impact of the Barak river after it reaches Bangladesh. After that, the river body is divided into Surma and Kushiyara tributaries.
There are more than 100 tributaries and sub-tributaries of Surma and Kushiyara rivers in the Sylhet division. After the embankment broke, the water is flowing into Surma and Kushiyara rivers at a great speed. This could worsen the flood situation in Sylhet district.
Zakiganj’s acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Pallab Hom Das told Prothom Alo, after the embankment broke the water is flowing into Surma and Kushiyara rivers at a rapid rate. A few areas of the upazila have flooded because of this. There is fear that water at other upazilas in Sylhet could also rise.
Heavy rainfall on the night before has worsened the flood situation in Sylhet. Water level has risen at different areas. Bangladesh Water Development Board’s (PWDB) Sylhet office has said that water flow at two points of the Surma river was still above the danger level on Friday.
Meanwhile, the plight of the flood affected people is getting worse. There is a shortage of food and drinking water. The shortage of fodder is also becoming severe. Many are living on wooden platforms after water entered their homes. Waterborne diseases are also spreading rapidly.