Around 11 per cent of mobile towers have gone out of order in 10 flood-hit districts, with Feni being the hardest hit, where 92 per cent of the towers are now lying dysfunctional.
According to updates from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), there are a total of 13,240 towers in the 10 districts, while 1,461 of them were out of order until 3:00 pm on Friday.
The flood-affected districts are Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, and Sylhet.
In Feni, nearly 91.9 per cent towers are now inoperative, while more than 21 per cent towers are down in Noakhali, more than 15 per cent down in Khagrachhari, and nearly 14 per cent down in Cumilla.
The BTRC said they are trying to resume operation of the affected mobile towers, in coordination with the army. However, the towers located in inundated areas cannot be reactivated until the water recedes.
It appeared challenging as well as time-consuming to restore the damaged mobile towers in Feni, while the BTRC is also fearing a disruption in mobile network due to deteriorated flood situation in Sylhet and Moulvibazar.
Meanwhile, the disaster management and relief ministry said a total of 4.5 million people in 11 districts have been affected by floods, while around 887,629 families have still been marooned due to incessant downpour and onrush of upstream water.