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Flood hit people return home


Published : 28 Jul 2019 08:54 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 08:51 PM

The misery of the country’s flood-affected people of the northern region is going to end as people are starting preparations for the return journey, after flood situation improved during last two days due to gradual deceasing of water levels in major rivers. During the time, water levels of a number of rivers including Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Kushiara Shitolokka, Kushiara, Dharola and Dhaleshwari decreased by 5cm to 30cm in the country’s 25 northern districts, said concerned officials.

According to the Relief Department, about 5,000 people have returned home in the northern districts. State Minister for Relief and Disaster Management Enamur Rahman on Sunday said flood situation has improved in several districts, and in next two days, the overall situation across the country would start improving significantly.

“At some southern districts, the flood situation decreased slightly, but flood-affected people of those areas are being provided with necessary relief items. All the deputy commissioners of those districts are working closely with the ministry,” the state minister further said while briefing the media at his Secretariat office in the capital.

In reply to a query over flood-related casualties, he said 75 people have died across the country during the flood. Among them, two were died in Sunamganj, 8 in Gaibandha, 11 in Sherpur, 1 in Bandarban, 1 in Netrokona, 1 in Lalmonirhat, 14 in Kurigram, 5 in Chittagong, 4 in Sirajganj, 22 in Jamalpur, 3 in Tangail, 1 in Manikganj, 1 in Madaripur and 1 in Faridpur. The state minister for disaster management has said that one has died in Manikganj, he added.

Water Development Board Executive Engineer Arifuzzaman told Bangladesh post on Sunday that the overall flood situation across the country is expected to improve significantly in next two days. He said, “From Friday, flood situation has improved in 15 districts including Naogaon, Jamalpur, Kushtia, Netrakona, Btahmanbaria, Jamalpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Sylhet; and remained neutral in 10 more districts.”

“Assuming less danger, most of the flood-affected people of the northern districts have started returning homes,” he said, adding in Jamalpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha, people who took shelter in different cyclone centres due to the devastating flood are now going back to their homes. Some others whose houses are still submerged under water are taking preparations.

“After passing 15 horrible days in shelter homes or under the open sky on embankments and roads, people are returning home in a joyful mood.” According to our different district correspondents, returning home, the flood-affected people are working day and night to make their houses habitable. Water is still stagnant at some homes. Waiting for the water to drop.

However, flood situation slightly deteriorated in several middle and southern districts including Bogura, Sirajganj, Feni, Cox’s Bazaar and a portion of Jamalpur. Our Gaibandha correspondent reports, flood situation improved during last two days but number of people suffering from water-borne diseases is increasing in the district.

According to the flood forecasts and warning centres, on Sunday, water level at Bahadurabad Ghat point of Jamuna in Jamalpur increased by five centimetres. In Kurigram, Brahmaputra is flowing 35cm over the danger mark while at Chilmari point in the same district water level of the same river decreased by 12cm.

However, yesterday, water was coming down from almost all areas of the district headquarters of northern region, but Sunderganj and Saghata, Phulchari and Sadar upazilas of Kurigram are still submerged. Nearly 2,50,000 houses have been damaged in the district during the flood while more than half a million homes have been damaged in Jamalpur.