The overall flood situation in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts has deteriorated as heavy rain inundated vast tracts of land, leaving thousands of people marooned. Flooding is likely to worsen further as heavy rainfall may continue. Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecasts that heavy rainfall is expected in Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions during next 48 hours commencing at 6:00 am on Wednesday.
Thousands of people have been marooned in different upazilas of Sylhet and Sunamganj districts as floodwater inundated their homesteads. The suffering of the people in the flood-hit areas is reaching its peak. They are also facing acute crises of food and safe drinking water.
According to media reports, relief allocated by the government for flood-affected people is quite insufficient. Houses and vast tracts of cropland in low-lying areas of the districts went underwater due to onrush of upstream water and heavy showers in the country for the last couple of days. Floodwaters are also destroying crops, seedbeds, cattle and poultry farms in those affected districts.
Road communications in different upazilas of the affected districts and the city remained snapped due to floods, with mounting suffering of inhabitants.
Incessant rain over the past two days has worsened the flood situation in Sylhet within a span of just 20 days. Nearly four lakh people in the Sylhet metropolitan area and throughout the district are now stranded. By Tuesday, 864 villages and localities in Sylhet were inundated by floodwater, affecting 371,507 people. Within the metropolitan area, 10,000 people remain stranded.
Thousands of people
marooned in different upazilas of Sylhet and
Sunamganj districts
On the other hand, heavy rainfall and swelling hill torrents have caused the Surma River to overflow, leading to widespread flooding on Eid-ul-Azha day in Sunamganj municipality. Many streets go under knee-deep water, causing significant distress to residents as water has entered homes and shops. Despite inclement weather, Eid prayers were performed at various Eidgahs in the city amid rain.
The local administration must tackle the situation at any cost. Shelters should be ready, and there should be ample stocks of cash, rice and dry food.
With the rise of water level in the rivers, erosion has taken a turn for the worse at many points in the affected districts, creating panic among the people. The authorities concerned should start distributing handmade breads and cooked foods, purified water and handmade oral saline to the flood-hit people immediately.
They should send packets of dry food to every flood-affected district alongside food grains. Besides, medical teams of the health ministry must work there round the clock. Tents should also be set up in shelter centres as floodwaters have already rendered a large number of people homeless.
A total of 628 points in the country’s north, northeast and southeast have been identified as vulnerable to flooding. Of those, 26 points are highly vulnerable.
Necessary steps must be taken to make 521 points free from the risk of flooding. Apart from the government, non-governmental and volunteer organisations, local lawmakers, public representatives and affluent people should also come forward to face the current flood as the situation may worsen in those districts.
