Heavy downpour in Four Northern Districts

Low-lying areas flooded

18 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Star National Desk

The low-lying areas in Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Gaibandha and Kurigram have been inundated following heavy downpour in the last two days. The Teesta in Ranpur and the Tangon in Thakurgaon have overflowed their banks and flooded the low-lying areas of the districts, leaving at least 30,000 people marooned. In Rangpur, flash flood yesterday hit the low-lying areas of Sadar upazila and chars of the Teesta under Kounia, Pirgachha and Gangachara upazilas, marooning about 25,000 families, reports our correspondent. The worst affected upazila is Gangachara where at least 10,000 families have been hit by flood. Rainwater also submerged the low-lying areas of Rangpur Pourasava. Acting Mayor Idris Ali said the affected people are in great trouble for want of food and pure drinking water. He further said the district administration is yet to provide food and pure drinking water for them. Our Thakurgaon correspondent reported that about 500 families in three villages under Thakurgaon municipality have been marooned as water from Tangon river entered the villages. People from other submerged areas of the municipality have taken shelter at Thakurgaon Government College and other places in the town. Water level of all rivers, including Tangon, Kulic and Dhepa, have marked sharp rise due to torrential rain and onrush of water from upstream in India, Water Development Board officials said. The deputy commissioner (DC), sadar upazila chairman and upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) visited the flood-hit areas yesterday and gave 20kg of rice to each of the affected families. Our Staff Correspondent from Bogra reports: The water level of the Jamuna at Sariakandi crossed danger level yesterday. About 50 metres of Jamuna embankment has been eroded at Sowrabari Atabari area in Dhunat Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Engineer Momtaz Uddin said, the Jamuna was flowing 30cm above the danger mark at Mathurapra of Sariakandi at 6:00pm yesterday. Recently transplanted aman on 2850 hectares of land in Dupchachia, one of the main paddy producing area of Bogra, has been submerged by rainwater. Recently transplanted aman in the low-lying areas of four upazilas of Gaibandha district has gone under water following heavy rain, according to our correspondent. Water Development Board sources said all the rivers, including the Teesta and the Brahmaputra, flowing through the district swelled further and may cross the danger mark. Roads under Gaibandha Pourasava have gone under knee-deep water, causing suffering to the town dwellers. The affected areas are DB Road, Circular Road, Munshipara, Bridge Road and Kuthipara. In Kurigram, the low-lying areas of six villages under Rajibpur upazila, 13 villages under Raumari upazila, nine villages under Chilmari upazila, 34 villages Ulipur upazila, 17 villages under Sadar upazila and 11 villages under Nageswari upazila have been inundated, says our correspondent. According to Water Development Board sources, 138 mm rainfall at Kounia point of the Teesta river, 102 mm at Bridge point of the Dharla river and 102.5mm at Chilmari point of the Brahmaputra river were in the last 24 hours.