Cry for food, water in flood shelters
Till Saturday, intestinal diseases claimed 10 lives and attacked 4200 people in Netrakona and Kishoreganj. The diseases have broken out in some of the flood shelters.
About 242 diarrhoea patients were brought to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital in the last 24 hours, officials at the Civil Surgeon's office told our correspondent yesterday afternoon.
But they could not specify whether any of the patients were from any flood shelter. A total of 136 medical teams are working in the affected areas, they said.
At many centres visited by our correspondents, people said they are nearly starving and afraid of intestinal diseases due to drinking water crisis. Medical teams were not seen during their visits to some of the centres yesterday and the day before.
There is hardly any dry place in Brahmanbaria town. The ground floor of PTI flood shelter centre there is inundated.
Our Netrokona Correspondent reports: A total of 13,898 families have been sheltered in 209 flood shelters in Netrakona where 81 unions have been flooded.
This correspondent visited 15 centres in Netrakona on Saturday and saw crisis of food and drinking water.
Intestinal diseases have broken out in many of the centres, inmates told this correspondent.
At Maghshimul High School flood shelter in Purbadhala upazila and Kalmakanda College shelter in Kalmakand upazila, this correspondent saw at least 30 people attacked with intestinal diseases. But no medical team was seen.
Sources at Netrakona Civil Surgeon's office said the diseases so far claimed eight lives and attacked around 2400.
The dead are Abdur Rahim, 63 and Momin, 4, in Kalmakanda upazila; Ganendro, 45, Shantosh, 32 and Kamal, 6, in Khaliajuri; Osman Faruk, 8, in Purbadhala; Iman Ali, 70 and Amena Begum ,48, in Madan upazila.
The sources said 75 medical teams are working in the flood affected areas. But this correspondent did not see any team during his visit to the 15 centres.
"We did not take any food since yesterday (Friday)", Abdul Majid told this correspondent at Maghshimul High School flood shelter in Purbadhala upazila Saturday evening.
"We are here for three days and got 750 gm rice per head".
Majid of Maghsimul village came to the centre with a family of five. There are 170 families at the centre.
Widow Amena Khatun of Gagra village said she came to the centre a week back and got only two kg rice.
She said she and her children are fasting for two days. Many others in the centre said so.
There were cries for food and water at Kalmakanda College flood shelter in Kalmakand upazila. About 150 family took shelter there. The inmates said they got no rice or dry food in the last two day.
Over 1,40,000 families are marooned in Netrakona district.
The Netrakona district administration sources said Tk six lakh and 500 tonnes of rice were distributed among the affected people.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In Kishoregonj district, 15961 families have been sheltered in 224 centres as 850 village reeled under water, administration sources said.
Chunilal Bajpai, who took shelter at the Bazitpur upazila land settlement office with his nine-member family, said he did not get any relief in four days.
People at Bazitpur Degree College and Razzakunasha Girls High School flood shelters said they were waiting for relief.
Two children died from diarrhoea in the district and 1800 people have been attacked in the district.
This correspondent saw at least 35 people attacked with intestinal diseases in the two centres.
Civil Surgeon office sources said 82 medical teams are working in the flood affected area. But this correspondent did not see any team in any of the flood shelters he visited on Sunday.
About 1,65,000 people are still marooned in the district, administration sources said.
Our Brahmanbaria Correspon-dent reports: According to sources at District Relief and Rehabilitation Office (DRRO), 492 flood shelters have been opened in the district where 2,25,800 people have taken shelter.
Another 17,74,200 marooned people are yet to be rescued.
People huddling at the PTI flood shelter in the town told this correspondent during a visit on Sunday that they did not yet get any food. The ground floor of the centre is inundated.
When contacted, DRRO sources said they received only 547.85 tonnes of rice, Tk 5,67,000, 200 tins of biscuits and house building material worth Tk 3,50,000 from high authorities till now.
District health officials said they got only 25,000 water purifying tables, 51,500 oral saline packets, Civil Surgeon Md Ishak said.
At a flood review meeting last night, the new Deputy Commission (DC) Md Jahirul Haque inform that they have sought more relief and those will reached soon.
Police Superintendent ATM Tareque, ADC (general) Mia Abdullah Mamun, ADC (Rev) Mustafa Kamal and other officials attended the meeting.
Flood-related death toll in the district rose to 23, according to official sources.
About 20 lakh people are marooned as all the 98 unions in four pourasabhas have been flooded.
The flood situation deteriorated due to rain and onrush of water from Tripura hills across the border.
Sarkarpara, Nuahati and College Para areas in Brahmanbaria town is under five to seven feet water.
Official sources said yesterday this year's flood in the district has broken the 1988 records. The Titas was flowing 173 cm above the danger level yesterday while the highest level during 1988 flood was 169.53 cm above the danger mark.
The floods this year damaged 2416 kilometres of road, 82 bridge an culverts, 193 kilometre dams, 13,990 houses, crops on 21,605 hectares and 2747 educational institutions in the district.
Brahmanbaria SP ATM Tareque distributed some relief materials among the marooned people in Shahjadapur.
The Namj-e-Janaja of Rubel, 28, son of Prof Md Mujibur Rahman, principal of Brahmanbaria Government College, was held on the roof top of Brahmanbaria High School Market as there is no dry place in the town.
Comments