Flash flood in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat

17 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Star National Desk

A housewife cooks on a chouki (wooden cot) at their Shalbon Jummapara house in Rangpur town as last two days' downpour inundated low-lying areas of the town, left, a woman and her two children moving for a safer place on a raft as the recent flash flood inundated their house at Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. PHOTO: BANGLAR CHOKH/ STAR

Heavy downpour has triggered flash flood in the low-lying areas of Lalmonirhat district and Rangpur town. In Lalmonirhat, the low-lying areas along the Teesta river in four upazilas have been inundated as the river swelled following heavy rains in the upstream. Over 30,000 people are now marooned at flood-hit Goddimari village under Hatibandha upazila, Votmari village under Kaligonj upazila, Mohiskhocha village under Aditmari upazila and Khuniya Gachha and Rajpur villages under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, according to a correspondent. The Teesta was flowing 27 cm above the danger mark at Dowani point in Hatibandha upazila on Sunday night. The marooned people face severe crisis of food and safe drinking water. Sources in Lalmonirhat Agriculture Extension Department said aman plants on around 6,000 acres of land in the affected upazilas have gone under water. Mohiskhocha Union Parishad Chairman Mohammad Hossain told this correspondent that flood hit 2,200 families at five villages of his union on Sunday night and most of them have been shifted to safer places. Khuniya Gachha UP Chairman Abdul Malek said about 1,000 flood-hit families in his union have taken shelter on high lands. Lack of food and safe drinking water have mounted their sufferings, he said. Our Rangpur correspondent reports: Some areas in Rangpur town have been submerged due to torrential rain in the last four days. The affected areas are Baghat, Mohiganj, Lalbagh and Rangpur bus terminal. Rangpur Pourasava (municipality) chairman said about 3,000 families in those areas have been affected due to water stagnation caused by poor drainage in the town, reports our correspondent. Water Development sources said 400mm rainfall was recorded in the town in the last four days.