Nearly 3,000 families of 16 villages of Santhia upazila remain trapped by water-logging for about two-month due to abnormal increase of water in the river Jamuna. The water level increased due to upstream onrush of water and the incessant rainfall.
The sufferings of the people are increaing and people of those affected villages are leading an inhuman life without any relief. Thousands of flood affected, unemployed people are suffering from acute shortages of food, pure drinking water and medicine. Though the upazila administration distributed relief among 400 affected families, the rest of affected family members are facing an acute food shortage.
According to sources, the villages including Boro Sonatola, Chhoto Sonatola, Boiragi Sonatola, Haria, Patgari, China Nari, Chhoto Narinda, Nagdemra, Chhoto Patailhat, Boro Patailhat, Selonda, Khidir Gram and Atiapara look like small islands inside vast ocean. Water is everywhere-outskirts of the house and even inside the bed-rooms. People are moving house to house and outside the villages by riding on rafts made of banana trees. Locals of Nagdemra Union Parishad area informed they remained water logged for nearly two months. Even, there is no dry space to make fire-place and cook food. As a result, they are nearly starving. Due to flooding of dwelling places of domestic animals and fowls, they have sold all their cattle heads, goats, ducks and chickens. Pure drinking water is nowhere. Furniture of the rooms and even toilets beside the houses have been drowned in water. They cannot even sleep at night because often snakes and scorpions ride on their beds. '
We did not get any assistance from the government and even no one visited our village to watch the inhuman lives we are leading', they further informed. Mintu Sheikh and Hamidul Sheikh
of the same area informed theks. Their trouble knew no bound. Failing to live under such a situation, their wives went to their parents' houses with the children.
They have sold all their cattle heads and goats.
Harun ar Rashid, Chairman of Nagdemra union said nearly 3,000 families of 16 villages of his union remained trapped in water for two months. Without sufficient relief materials, affected people of the villages are spending an inhuman lives. The people of the villages are suffering acutely from the crisis of food, pure drinking water and medicines. He added, he got only four tonnes of relief materials about a week ago which is extremely low in amount.
Resident Medical Officer of Santhia upazila Health Complex Dr Mamun Abdullah informed the water borne diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, Diarrhoea and mosquito borne diseases like Dengue, Chikungunia and Malaria are likely to spread in the affected areas. Moreover, the menace of cold and cough might also be increased there. He opined, people of the waterlogged villages might face a severe health crisis if no emergency medical service is not introduced in the affected villages.
SM Zamal Ahmed, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Santhia informed that he contacted the local UP Chairman and took information about nearly 2,500 water-logged families of the villages. The water logged areas have also been inspected by the government employees and four metric tonnes of relief materials have been distributed among 400 families. He also said he would talk to the Deputy Commissioner of Pabna for allocating relief materials for the rest of affected families.
Reazul Karim, Pabna district Relief and Rehabilitation Officer informed that a list of flood affected people have been prepared. There are sufficient relief materials in the stock and those will be distributed among the affected people as soon as possible.
