‘Flood-affected people suffering immensely’

Flood water has entered the house and has not receded for three days. It is difficult to go out as the surrounding areas and roads are also flooded. There is no scope for work.

Day labourer Arju Mia and his family are in trouble.

He is a resident of Moinpur village of Sunamganj Sadar upazila.

Arju Mia said there are six members in his family. He had no work for three days and has been meeting family needs with a Tk 300 loan from a neighbour.

Like Arju Mia, many have been suffering due to floods. Floods have added more suffering to the coronavirus-hit people.

Incessant rains and onrush of water from the hills for several days caused the floods from Friday night. Marketplaces, roads and educational institutions have been inundated.

According to the district administration, 61 unions of 11 upazilas in Sunamganj have been flooded. Some 66,869 families have been affected. The district administration has allocated 420 tonnes of rice and cash of Tk 2,970,000 as emergency reliefs.

While visiting municipality town areas of Sunamganj on Monday, Prothom Alo correspondent found roads and surrounding areas flooded.

Kalipada Das, a resident of Notunpara, said, “Water has entered the house. We are in difficult times. The water is not receding.”

Searching for shelter in Jamalpur

Kajoli Begum is arranging her family's belonging on a bridge and making breakfast. Her husband is helping her. Water is flowing through their house as the water level of Jamuna rises. The bamboo-fence walls of their house have broken and they have taken shelter on the bridge.

This Prothom Alo correspondent met her at Amtali of Islampur upazila in Jamalpur at around 8:30 Monday morning. Many others, including Monira Begum and Sakhina Begum, took shelter there.

This correspondent also met Sonahar Mia, a resident of Singbhanga village who had got down from a boat near Purba Baliadah bridge.

He was going towards the Amtali bazaar in search of shelter. He said that there was waist-deep water in his house for three days. He took shelter on a raised yard of a house but water rushed in there too last night.

At least 15 points of Islampur-Ulia road have broken and water is flowing heavily. All communication between the upazila town and the villages has been cut off. People are searching for shelter in boats. Boats are the only means of communication now.

Jamalpur Water Development Board official Abdul Mannan said the water in Jamuna is rising very fast. The water level which was 26 cm at Bahadurabad point has increased and is flowing 84 cm above the danger level, causing inundation in new areas.

The flood situation has worsened with the rise of water levels of different rivers. Flood-affected people are taking shelter at educational institutions and on high land and bridges.

In Gaibandha , water levels of different rivers are also rising. Six unions of four upazilas have been inundated in the last 24 hours.

Gaibandha Water Development Board executive engineer Mokhlesur Rahman said, “We fear that the water will increase further in the next two to three days.”

In Sirajganj, the water level in Jamuna is flowing above the danger level.

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.