We express profound concern over the devastation caused by the ongoing terrible floods witnessed in the country’s southeast and northeast regions during this late monsoon. Whether due to heavy rain onrush of upstream water, tidal surges or busted dams, floods have often claimed many lives and left many parts of the country in ruin.
Flood situation in the southeast and northeast regions of the country on Friday has deteriorated further caused by onrush of upstream water and nonstop heavy rain over the last one week. Floods hit 495 unions under 65 upazilas in Feni, Cumilla, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, Chattogram, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet and Lakshmipur districts leaving 5,86,040 families stranded and 36,45,552 people affected. Affected people are suffering from nightmares and anxiety especially when it rains.
Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali did not witness such floods in the 50 years. At least 13 people drowned and many others went missing as rivers burst their banks submerging vast swathes of land. Railway communications in Chittagong and Sylhet divisions remain suspended since Thursday morning due to worsening flood situation. Several parts of railway tracks in Feni and Cumilla have been submerged, with water also flowing over a railway bridge.
We saw people holding on to a rope as floodwater rushing across the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Feni’s Lalpool area. The situation in Cumilla, Noakhali and Feni was particularly worrying as the Muhuri and Feni rivers kept swelling throughout Friday.
The flood situation was created in the country due to downpour, while dying of canals, waterbodies and rivers also contributed to the flooding. A huge onrush of river water damaged numerous houses, crops, communications infrastructures, educational institutions and other establishments in the flood-affected areas. Besides, floods also engulfed the low-lying, fresh areas every day.
Affected people are suffering
from nightmares and anxiety
especially when it rains
Many people were forced to initially take refuge on their rooftops amid gushing rising waters until rescue boats came at many places in Cumilla, Noakhali and Feni. Marooned people in affected districts are passing days in extreme misery amid an acute crisis of food and pure drinking water and the spread of waterborne diseases.
Their sufferings have mounted with a further deterioration in the flood situation. The flood victims are desperately looking for relief. People are rushing to any approaching boat or vehicles in the hope of receiving relief items. The risk of an outbreak of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases is also high in flood-affected areas. The downpours aggravated affected people’s miseries while the deluge by now snapped entirely road links of southeast and northeast districts from the rest of the country.
Flood waters also engulfed several power stations forcing authorities to shut down the facilities, subsequently affecting internet and mobile phone communications in Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali districts.
Many people in the flood-hit areas have taken shelter to high places like educational institution buildings, roads and embankment with their livestock. The government and non government agencies, armed forces, fire service, local bodies and different volunteer organisations are now working hard round the clock jointly to help the affected people. As Bangladesh is a riverine country, a large number of people are living across the riverbank and char areas. These people are affected by flood almost every year.
The local administration will have to increase distribution of relief materials in the worst-affected areas. Simultaneously, the department of health must undertake measures to prevent any outbreak of water-borne diseases in flood-affected areas. We believe people from all walks of life will extend all-out support and stand beside the marooned people in affected districts along with the administration during this tough situation.
