All the roads in Sylhet are inundated. There is waist-deep water in some houses. Crops are under water, fish have washed away. Even hospitals and educational institutions are under water. Many people have taken shelter in lofts or high places. Crisis of food and drinking water has hit the waterlogged areas. Adding to the sufferings is the continuous rain. People are looking for safe shelters.
The monsoon just started this year and Sylhet has already been flooded twice. This time, almost 80 per cent of the entire district has been inundated in the flood that started last Monday.
Weather experts and environmentalists say Sylhet can no longer hold up to the pressure of flood and heavy rains in any way. Most parts of the district are being inundated by upstream and even scanty rains as a the city corporation project to solve waterlogging worth more than Tk 10 billion didn’t come to any work. Besides, there is lack of proper and effective dredging of the rivers Surma and Kushiyara.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, general secretary of the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) in Sylhet Abdul Karim Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that more than Tk 10 billion has been spent to resolve the waterlogging over the last one decade. Tk five million was spent for the dredging of river Surma alone in the last two years. However, none of these projects were implemented properly. As a result, Sylhet can no longer hold up against even a little rain. The non-stop heavy rain over the last few days is further complicating the situation.
In this situation, all rivers in the district, including the Surma and the Kushiyara, need to be dredged immediately.
Speaking regarding the reasons behind frequent floods in Sylhet, Abdul Karim Chowdhury said unplanned development projects are underway in the haors. Embankments are being raised which obstructs the natural flow of the rivers. These must be stopped.
Sylhet was hit by flood first on 29 May, driven by the flash flood from upstream. However, the flood situation improved after 8 June. Then floods re-emerged following the start of non-stop heavy rain last Monday.
Earlier, Sylhet experienced a similar flood situation as result of heavy rains and flash flood from upstream India in 2022.
Questions over project costs
The residents of Sylhet city feel the flood situation in the city would not worsen this much had the river been dredged and eviction drives were conducted to keep the banks free of occupation. Besides, the rivers and streams (natural canals) should have been deepened in a planned way. The streams flowing through the city have lost capacity to hold water due to lack of proper maintenance and dredging.
However, according to the engineering department of the city corporation, the city corporation has spent a total of Tk 10.78 billion in fourteen years from 2009 to 2023 in different projects to resolve waterlogging, including programmes to digging up streams, construction of retaining walls by evicting illegal establishments on the banks and construction of u-type drains and walkway. Around Tk 50 million has been spent in this sector this year too. Besides, several other relevant projects are underway in different wards worth Tk 550 million in total.
Speaking to Prothom Alo regarding this, Sylhet City Corporation chief engineer Nur Azizur Khan said the water is not receding as the river Surma remains full to the brim.
One swept away in flood water
Some 13 upazilas in Sylhet have been inundated. A man died after being swept away by the flood water. The deceased was identified as Abdul Halim of Muhidpur village in Zakiganj upazila. He went out for fishing at around 9:00 am on Wednesday. Later, police recovered his body at around 2:00 pm.
People in the flood-affected areas say 23 of the 42 wards under the city corporation have been flooded. Besides, around 15,000 to 20,000 shops and houses in the district are submerged now. Many non-pucca houses have collapsed.
According to the Water Development Board, water in all rivers of Sylhet is still rising. Three rivers, including the Surma and Kushiyara, are flowing above the danger line at six points.
Sylhet deputy commissioner Sheikh Russel told Prothom Alo yesterday that they have opened enough shelters for the flood victims. Although they had enough relief, they could not reach the victims due to scarcity of vessels. However, efforts are always on to provide reliefs and drinkable waters through local administration and public representatives.
Visiting different flood-affected areas in the city yesterday, people from the low lying areas in the district, including Upashahar, Zatarpur, Taltala, Jamtala, Chhorarpar, Kamalgarh, Machhimpur, Ghasitula and Shameemabad, were heading for shelters or relatives’ houses. Many families have laid layers of bricks in their houses set up their beds there.
Meanwhile, state minister for state and relief Md Muhibur Rahman has said that the prime minister is constantly monitoring the flood situation.
He said this while distributing relief among the flood-affected people at a shelter in the city’s Mirabazar area.
People starving
Majida Begum, 50, and four of her family have taken resort to the shelter opened at the Kishori Mohan (boys) Government Primary School. She said her entire house, including the furniture, went under water. She came to the shelter on Eid day. However, they have been provided with foods (puffed rice and flattened rice) only once in the last few days. They are suffering for food.
This is not the only case, people across all the shelters opened in the city complained of suffering due to the water and food crisis.
But the people in the flood affected areas are not getting any sort of food assistance at all. The infants and children are crying non-stop for food and there is no relief work there. Many fell sick due to the scarcity of food and water.
According to the office of the district civil surgeon, the upazila health complexes in Companiganj, Fenchuganj and Gowainghant have been flooded causing immense suffering for the patients and their relatives.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, there are a total of 20,384 hectares of croplands in the district, of which 11,707 hectares have been inundated.
The district primary and secondary education Office says a total of 417 government primary schools and 50 secondary schools and madrasahs have been flooded.
*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu