Flood victims face crisis of food, drinking water
With inundation of fresh areas, the flood situation in Gaibandha, Jamalpur and Bogra districts deteriorated further yesterday.
The Brahmaputra and Ghagot rivers were flowing 57 and 60 centimetres above the danger marks, leaving over 500 families in different areas under Sadullapur upazila of Gaibandha marooned, reports our correspondent.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The flood-hit people, who took shelter on the flood control embankment and in school and college buildings, are facing acute crisis of food and pure drinking water.
Fazlul Kaium Huda, chairman of Bongram Union Parishad, said overflowing water of the Karotoa engulfed croplands and homesteads through the breaches of flood control dyke.
Despite repeated calls, the authorities of Water Development Board (WDB) did not take initiative for the renovation of vulnerable points of the dyke for the last five years, he alleged.
Meanwhile, five points of Gaibandha town protection dyke along the River Ghagot are now under threat. If the dyke is breached, Gaibandha municipality areas will go under knee to waist deep water, said the chairman.
Workers of WDB and local people are working round the clock to repair vulnerable points of the dyke and tried to stop seepage along the dyke, he said.
In Jamalpur, at least two lakh and 60 thousand people in seven upazilas of the district have been marooned as the Jamuna was flowing 68 cm above the danger mark yesterday, reports our correspondent.
About 16280 hectares of croplands went under floodwater, said Dr Rafiqul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district.
The authorities shut 250 schools due to the floods, said Abdul Alim, district primary education officer.
The district administration has allocated 209 tonnes of rice and Tk 5.47 lakh for the marooned people, said the District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer.
According to our Bogra correspondent, as water levels of the rivers were increasing, around 120 villages in five upazilas of the district were marooned in the last five days.
The affected upazilas are Sariakandi, Sonatola, Dhunat, Adamdighi and Shibganj, said local WDB sources.
At least 1.50 lakh people still remained marooned as Jamuna and Bangalee rivers were flowing 79 and 46 cm above the danger marks.
The district administration has distributed 130 tonnes of rice and Tk 8.75 lakh among the flood victims, said Deputy Commissioner Md Ashraf Uddin.
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