Flood goes, woes remain

Living with water...A family, like many others in Goshalla area in Sirajganj town, is living on makeshift wooden structures for about two months

While visiting the town on Friday, this correspondent saw many areas including Goshala, Hazi Barrack, Mondal Para, Kobdash Para, Chok Kobdash Para, Sayagobinda, Soyadhanghora and under knee-deep water.

At least 4000 families in the areas are now in a miserable condition due to the stagnant water. Some families were seen taking shelter on raised platforms as the floors are still inundated. Housewives were cooking on raised wooden platforms. Many of them said they are in such condition for over three weeks. Many kutcha houses have collapsed.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Prodip Shah, 60, a businessman in Goshala area in the town said water-logging is a common feature in the town for long. But no body cares to take any step to improve the situation.

Once, there was a canal named Kata Khali Khal in the town and some flood plains nearby to hold rainwater. But these have been occupied by encroachers and filled up. Structures have been built on those, clogging all outlets.

Beside, faulty drainage system is another cause for the water-logging in the town.

Residents said rainwater from Goshla, Hazi Barrack, Borobazar, Ekdala, Kobdashapra, Mondolpara, Dattobari and Janpur areas used to flow through the Kata Khali Khal. But now the canal is virtually non-existent.

When contacted, Pourasabha Chairman TRM Nur-e- Alam Helal told this correspondent that some schemes have been taken up to improve the drainage system. But budgetary allocation is not sufficient for the work.

He has written to higher authorities for more allocations to construct drains.