Sylhet floods: Hundreds wait for relief
Samia Begum wearing wet clothes up to the waist was standing beside a road. She was holding her one and a half months old son wrapped with her slightly wet scarf.
She said there is no food and water and she ate nothing on Sunday night. She received no food assistance from anyone either. Her son is crying for food and she, too, is thirsty.
Samia Begum talked to this correspondent on Sunday in Telikhal area of Companiganj where her family took shelter at the fire service building. Her husband Babul Mia is a stone worker. Since floods hit the area, Babul Mia got no work, thus, leaving his family penniless.
About 450 people affected by flood also took shelter at the fire service facility. They said no relief from the government arrived in the shelter centre until Monday afternoon. Many of them are hungry and they are not getting drinking water since floodwater submerged all tube wells in adjacent areas.
Alia Begum is one of them who took refuge at this shelter centre. She has five cows while flood killed her two calves. Tent has been set up on the road in front of the shelter the cattle arriving along with the people surviving the floods.
Alia Begum said she had little flatten rice in mid-day. Someone gave her the flattened rice with little molasses and they ate it. Now they have nothing to eat, she added.
Amira Begum has seen floodwater destroying her house built with corrugated iron sheet and washing away eight mounds of paddy and a calf along with it
Hundreds of people were seen waiting for relief beside roads adjacent to Khagail, Chhota Borni, Borni, East and West Borni, Telikhali and Thanabazar of Companiganj and Tuker Bazar area of Bholaganj and since 11:00am on Monday.
Food assistance has been arriving at the initiative of various individuals and organisations though it was little. Some people are bringing dry foods but that is often being taken to remote villages submerged by floodwater.