Flood leaves 35,000 people homeless in Sherpur

Four people including two brothers have drowned and died in the floods at Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur. Another person has gone missing. Meanwhile, 35,000 people have been left homeless.

The flood situation remains unchanged in Jhinaigati upazila of the district as well. Apart from that, different parts of Haluaghat and Dhobaura upazilas in Mymensingh as well as Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas of Netrakona have also been flooded.   

The deceased persons are Abu Hatem, 30, and Alamgir, 17, sons of Bashir Uddin from Abhoypur village in Nanni union, Omija Khatun, 45, wife of Manik Mia from Baghber village in Baghber union and Idris Mia, 80, of Andharupara village in Noyabil union of Nalitabari upazila.

Of them, the bodies of the two brothers were recovered by police on Saturday night. They were washed away in the current of Chellakhali river while they had left their house in search of a safe shelter on Friday afternoon.

Besides, Idris Mia was washed away while crossing an inundated road in Andharupara village and Omija Khatun died from drowning in the flood water on the same day. Meanwhile, Jahura Khatun, 45, of Batkuchi village in the area went missing after being washed away in the water.

While visiting several unions of Nalitabari upazila on Friday it was noticed that water had accumulated from the onrush of upstream flow was rising in some places and has started receding in some other places. Plus, the flood has initiated river erosion in some locations. A lot of houses have been affected from this while the roads leading towards some of the unions from the municipality remains closed for being submerged underwater.

Hafiz Uddin, 70, a resident living on the banks of Bhogai river in Hatipagar village under Noyabil Union said, “I have never seen so much water in the river before. As the time passes, so is the water level in the river keeps rising. This time it’s even worse than the flood of 1988.”

Naliytabari upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Masud Rana said that 100 plus villages in eight unions of the upazila have been flooded from overflow and dams being collapsed in Bhogai and Chellakhali rivers with the onrush of upstream waters.

A total of 35,000 people have been left homeless from this. Meanwhile, the houses of about 7,000 people have been affected. Packets of dry food and drinking water have been distributed among 5,000 families in five unions and the municipal area on behalf of the district, upazila and municipality administrations, the UNO added.

The flood situation remains unchanged in Jhinaigati upazila of Sherpur. There has been no heavy rainfall since 12:00 am on Saturday. The water level in Maharishi river has lowered a little from this. However, in the meantime ten villages in Hatibandha and Malijhikanda unions of the upazila have been flooded anew from the onrush of upstream waters. As many as 2,000 people have been left freshly waterlogged in these areas.

Including all, 50 villages in the upazila have been inundated from the incessant rain and the increase of water level in Maharashi and Shomeshwari rivers. The number of people left waterlogged in the upazila stands around 7,000. Meanwhile, a portion of the Jhinaigati-Tinani-Nalitabari road in Ranigao area collapsed from the strong currant in Chellakhali river on Friday afternoon. And the vehicular movement on that road closed down because of that.

Residents of west Beltail village, Tara Mia and Abul Hossain alongside another resident from Ghagra Kabirajpara village Kasimuddin said that the flood water breached into their houses and no food could be cooked. They survived on dry foods all day. Meanwhile, a resident of Matiapara village in Sadar union of Jhinagati upazila said they have been left waterlogged for two days and have not receives any aid yet.

Upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Jhinaigati, Md Ashraful Alam Russel said while the water level decreased a little on the upstream, it keeps rising in areas around the downstream. Dry foods have been distributed among 1,000 families affected from the onrush of upstream waters on Saturday, he added.

Nearly 127 villages in seven unions of Dhobaura upazila of Mymensingh have been flooded from the waters coming down from the mountains in Meghalaya of India and the embankment on Netai river being collapsed. Of them, two unions adjacent to Shibbari of Meghalaya have fallen into the most disastrous condition.

Residents of this area have been left distraught with this flood coming out of the blue. Till Saturday afternoon, no rescue or relief activities had stared in these areas till Saturday afternoon. The road communication of the upazila Sadar with different unions has been disrupted as well.

Meanwhile, 25,000 people in Haluaghat upazila of the district had become waterlogged since Thursday evening from the heavy rainfall and water coming down the hills.

Haluaghat upazila agriculture officer Mahabubur Rahman said that Aman paddy had been sown on 24,900 hectares of cropland there. Of that, the paddies from 4,100 hectares of cropland have already been submerged under flood water. Besides, vegetables gown on 38 hectares of land have been damaged as well.

The low-laying areas in at least seven unions of Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas in Netrakona district have been flooded from the heavy downpour in the past two days and the flow of water coming down from the hills. As a result, Aman paddy sown on around 150 hectares of cropland in these two upazilas has been inundated from this.  

Although there has been an increase in the water levels of Shomeshwari river in Durgapur and Ubdakhali river in Kalmakanda, they are still flowing below the danger level. Around 6:00 pm on Saturday, Shomeshwari river was flowing 0.75 centimetres below the danger level at Durgapur point while Ubdakhali river was flowing 0.32 centimetres shorter than the danger level at Kalmakanda Dak Bungalow point.   

Apart from that, the water levels in various large and small rivers including Mahadeo in Kalmakanda, Kangsha and Magra in Sadar and Barahatta upazila along with Dhanu in Khaliajuri are still rising. Executive engineer of the Water Development Board (WDB) in Netrakona, Md Sarwar Jahan said, “Although water has reached the low-laying areas in Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas, there’s not much possibility of floods there.”

[Prothom Alo correspondent of the respective areas have helped preparing this report with information]