Sunamganj sees 300mm of rain, five upazilas flooded again
Five upazilas in Sunamganj have yet again been flooded from the rain on Monday. There have been 300mm of rainfall in the district during the last 24 hours. At the same time there has an onrush of upstream waters from the mountains.
Many roads in Sunamganj Sadar, Bishwambharpur, Tahirpur, Chhatak and Dowarabazar upazilas have been inundated because of this. The flood water has breached the areas on the banks of Surma river in the city.
Basically, when there’s excessive rain on the upstream, the situation gets worse in Sunamganj from the overflow of water from the mountains. There had been 313mm of rain in Cherrapunji of the state of Meghalaya in India within 24 hours till Monday morning.
During the same period, there had been 170mm of rain in Sunamganj. Then there was 300mm of rain in the district, during the next 24 hours. As a result, the flood situation has worsened again from the influx of upstream water and the incessant rain.
Water has inundated the roads, houses and business establishments adjacent to the banks of Surma river in Sunamganj municipality. Launchghat, Jalilpur, Mallikpur, Uttar Arpinnagar, Tegharia, Nabinagar, Wezkhali and Boropara areas of the city are waterlogged now.
Sunamganj municipality mayor Nader Bakht said that the flood water has breached the areas on the banks of the river and haor in the city. There’s waterlogging on roads, shops and houses in these areas. And, shelter centres have been prepared.
As the Tahirpur-Sunamganj road has been flooded on three points, direct vehicular movement has been suspended on this road. Meanwhile, bordering Islampur, Kalaruka, Nowarai and Charmahalla unions in Chhatak upazila have been flooded as well. Different parts of Dowarabazar upazila have also been flooded.
As the rain and upstream overflow continue, water level has been rising in all the rivers of Sunamganj including, Jadukata, Patnai, Rakti, Baulai, Kushiara, Naljur, Chela, Chalti and Khashiamara.
Ismail Hossain, a resident of Islampur village in Sunamganj Sadar upazila said that the road connecting the village with the city have been submerged under water. So, they have to travel by boats now.
Executive engineer at the Water Development Board in Sunamganj, Md Mamun Howladar said that there is a forecast of heavy rain. However, there was less rain on Tuesday morning. Basically, the water level rose from the heavy downpour in Sunamganj and in India’s Cherrapunji on the upstream. If the rain continues, the situation might worsen even further.
The flood started in Sunamganj on last 16 June and the whole district became affected at one point. As many as 1,018 villages in the district were flooded leaving 800,000 (8 lakh) people waterlogged. Meanwhile, innumerous houses and roads were submerged under water.
About 25,000 families took refuge in other people’s homes, educational institutes and in government as well as private organisation buildings. The water level in the rivers started decreasing after 23 June. Many people returned home when the situation improved. However, many had not returned home yet and the flood situation is going worse again.