Mintu Deshwara

Low-lying areas of Habiganj city are inundated – causing immense people suffering – due to the incessant heavy rains, onrush of water from the hills and rising water in the rivers.

Residents of Chhatak, Bishwambarpur, Tahirpur and Dowarabazar upazilas of Sunamganj and Companiganj, Gowainghat upazilas of Sylhet, including the city corporation areas, are badly affected due to the ongoing heavy rain and flood.

Worsening floods in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts have resulted in power outages, closure of many schools as they have been turned into makeshift flood shelters, and vast areas being inundated, with locals saying the flood is worse than the ones they experienced in 1998 and 2004.  

In the last few years, 31 illegal brick kilns have been built within just 1.5 kilometres on both sides of Dhuliakhal-Mirpur regional road in Habiganj. Of them, only 15 are authorised, according to local union parishad chairman Saifuddin.

Following the devastating blast in the Sitakunda BM Depot, 22-year-old depot worker Al Amin went missing. His parents, living in Habiganj’s Bagerkhal village under Putizuri union, made repeated attempts to reach him over the phone, but failed.

“The last time I talked to my son was around 2:00pm on Saturday,” said Hasina Begum. 

Monaf Mia, a 65-year-old tea worker in Mominchhara tea garden of Sylhet’s Fenchuganj, works in the gardens all day, only to come back home at night to get soaked in rainwater, due to the dilapidated condition of the roof over his head.

“When the first signs of rain came, I harvested the paddy in a hurry. But now, four days since the downpour, I’ve lost both my house and the paddy. I don’t know how I’ll harvest the rest of it. We’re in danger.”

With rivers in Sylhet and Sunamganj still flowing above the danger level, fisheries and crop farms have been bearing the brunt.

With the weather forecast indicating deterioration of the flood situation in the north-eastern region, the demand for relief is increasing in the affected areas of Sylhet and Sunamganj.

This is the story of a group, but more than that, it’s the story of the man behind it.

With its serene waters and tranquil environment, Madhabkunda waterfall in Moulvibazar is among the top picks of tourists to visit during the holidays.

The number of migratory birds at Hakaluki Haor has been gradually decreasing over the last five years for a variety of reasons.

During the Eid holidays, Lawachhara National Park sees tourists double its capacity. This has been the trend for quite some years now, except for the hiatus due to the pandemic in the last two years.

The name “Sreemangal” makes the heart tremble, according to a man who came to visit the ever-popular tourist destination to enjoy the Eid holiday with his family.

Right beside the famous Humhum waterfall in Moulvibazar’s Kamalganj stands another unexplored waterfall. Locally called “Fikol Jhorna”, the fall is surrounded by a few hills. It stands a hundred feet above a hilltop.

Miscreants, allegedly under the patronage of forest department and local influentials, have been logging trees in the protected Lathitila forest in Moulvibazar’s Juri upazila.

Several thousand temporary tea workers in the country, especially in Sreemangal, don’t get the same daily wages as the permanent ones do. Moreover, they are also being deprived of various government benefits.

Although road construction inside the Lathitila protected forest was halted due to the forest officials’ intervention, works have resumed ignoring their concerns, allegedly following the environment minister’s order.

In Mouvibazar’s South Gangul village, a bridge remains unused by residents for almost two decades, because one family objected to building the connecting path on its land.