Torrential rain maroons 38,000 people in Bagerhat

Incessant rain for the past two days has marooned around 38,000 people in different areas of Bagerhat district imposing huge sufferings to the locals on Friday, reports UNB.

Large numbers of shrimp enclosures have been swept away in the rainwater, triggering commercial losses alongside hazards on public life.

The district fisheries department has been preparing a list of affected fishermen, said district fisheries officer Khaled Kanak.

Local authorities distributed 2000 packets of dry food among the affected people, said deputy commissioner Md Mamunur Rashid.

The rain with gusty wind started early Thursday and continued more-or-less unabated till Friday night, due to a depression over the Bay, locals said.

Low lying areas of Morrelganj, Rampal, Sharankhola and Mongla upazila were submerged leaving at least 30 villages waterlogged.

Upazila authorities initiated to leak excessive rain water by cutting the flood control embankment, Sharankkhola UNO Sardar Mostafa Shahin said

Bagerhat Agriculture Extension Department deputy director Sanjay Kumar said that 68.66 millimeter rain was recorded in 24 hours since 6:00am on Thursday morning in the district.

Upazila Nirbahi Officers have been asked to make lists after measuring damages caused by the rain water, DC said.

Rampal UNO Shadha Kumar said at least 1200 families have been marooned in the rain water while Mongla UNO Kamlesh Majumdar said they are collecting information to measure the effects of the water stagnation.

Meanwhile, many parts of the country are experiencing light to moderate rain which is likely to continue for the next 24 hours due to a depression over the Bay, the met office said Friday.

“The well-marked low over the northwest Bay and adjoining west central Bay moved northwestwards and intensified subsequently into a depression, afterwards deep depression and then depression over the North-west Bay and adjoining area,” the met office said in a bulletin.

Light to moderate rain and thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barishal, Chattrogram and Sylhet divisions, the weather bulletin said.

The Met Office on Friday advised maritime ports to hoist local cautionary signal number 4 and warned that low-lying coastal areas could be inundated by tidal surges of three to five feet height above the normal astronomical tide under the depression’s influence.

Areas that could see tidal surges are Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong and their offshore islands and chars.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter until further notice.