Influenced by the low in the bay, the incessant rainfall associated with stormy wind has ravaged the lives of people of Satkhira.
The continuous heavy downpour from Wednesday to Thursday evening has flooded the low-lying areas of Satkhira.
The shrimp enclosures, TP Aman field and the seed beds of the district have been plunged in devastating rain. In addition to Satkhira Sadar upazila, most of the shrimp enclosures of Shamnagar, Ashashuni, Kaliganj, Debhata and Tala upazilas have been washed away in the flood water. Sufferings of the people of flood affected Ashashuni and Shamnagar upazilas knew no bounds.
According to sources due to heavy downpour for two-day at a stretch, the low lying areas of 78 unions of seven upazilas of the district has been devastated. 20,000 shrimp enclosures with hundreds of ponds and several thousands of acres of lands with TP Aman paddy, seed beds and ponds of the unions have been flooded and washed away in the heavy rain. Upazila sources opined, the excessive rainfall has caused a loss of Tk 530 million (53 crore) of fish resources of the district.
Meanwhile, most of the low-lying areas of Satkhira Municipality are now under water. The water in the Municipal areas was continuing to rise because of absence of proper drainage system.
Ali Nur Khan Babul of Itagachha area informed, the area is submerged after a moderate rainfall and the continuous downpour for the last two-day (Wednesday and Thursday) has plunged all low-lying city areas. The water cannot be extracted outside the municipality area due to a poor drainage system.
Sources informed, due to continuous rainfall crop lands and fields of Balugachha, Komarpur, Borodal, Govindapur, Damarpota, Machkhola, Shallo, Godaibeel, Chaagla, Binerpota and Rajnagar have been over- flooded with water. The water of those fields cannot be extracted to nearby river.
As a result, massive water logging has been created in the areas. Affected people said, they do not have any raised ground to put their cattle heads, goats and poultry birds and they are forcing to cook their food by standing under knee-deep water. Most of the vegetable fields of the villages have also been flooded and damaged. In some villages, waist deep water was noticed to run through the roads. Suffering of the low income group of people and the day-labourers knew no bounds due to flood caused by heavy down-pour.
Zulfiqur Ali Ripon, Officer-in-Charge of Satkhira Meteorological Office informed a total of 143 mm of rainfall has been recorded from Thrusday morning to Friday morning. This was the highest recorded rainfall during the last five-year in the region, he added.
Nurul Islam, Deputy Director of DAE, Satkhira informed low lying areas of the district have been devastated by flood casuing damage of seed beds of some 1,700 hectares of land and 860 hectares of TP Aman field. Moreover, vegetables of some 500 hactares of land of the upazila have also been damaged.
Satkhira district Fisheries Officer Mashiur Rahman said, among others, there was a damage 19,459 fish-enclosures in Ashasuni, Shyamnagar and Kaliganj upazilas of the district. The amount of loss due to the release of fishes from the enclosure is Tk 53 crore 49 lakh, he added.
Humayun Kabir, Deputy Commissioner of Satkhira said the works of estimating the loss due to flood caused by heavy rainfall is going on and the relief activi ties will be started soon for the affected people.