<i>Once flooded, trapped for months</i>
ORDEAL OF WATERLOGGING: Like many others, this family is trapped in waist-deep water on the premises of their house at Sora village in Shyamnager upazila. Photo: STAR
Over 35,000 people are marooned in 15 villages in Gabura and Munshiganj unions in Shyamnagar upazila as the flood water that entered the areas through breaches in Kobadar at Lebubunia is not receding. The flood remained unchanged as the breached embankment is yet to be repaired. Locals said the water will not recede in months as the river is silted in several areas. The affected people now face acute scarcity of food and drinking water and brace for harder days as Amon crops have been totally destroyed and there is no hope for any crop as lands will remain under water for months, locals said. Most of the areas are now under two to three feet water. The embankments collapsed at Lebubunia on September 17 due to surging tidal water caused by depression in the Bay. Almost all the tube wells have gone under knee deep floodwater, said Gabura Union Parishad (UP) chairman Safiul Azam Lenin. Hundreds of kutcha houses were damaged completely or partially, leaving over 6,000 homeless, who have taken shelter in five shelters set up by the local administration on high lands. Shrimps in at least 882 enclosures in the area were washed away by flood water, sources said. The worst affected villages are Khalshebunia, Madhya Khalshibunia, Jelekhali, Lebubunia, Chakbara, Gagramari, Napitkhali, Dumuria, Kalibari, Gabura, Parshemari, 9 No Sora, 10 No Sora, Kholpetua, Latakhali and Laxmikhali in Shyamanagr upazila. Local public representatives said the situation will deteriorate if the Water Development Board (WDB) does not repair the breached embankment immediately. Commanding officer of joint forces Col. Zillul Haque, Maj. Rehan, Shyamnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dilip Kumar Banik and WDB Executive Engineer Lutfor Rahman visited the affected areas yesterday and stressed immediate repair of the breaches. Talking to this correspondent, WDB Executive Engineer Lutfor Rahman said they are trying repair the collapsed embankment as early as possible. UNO Dilip Kumar said the local administration has sanctioned over 15 tonnes of rice and drinking water to the affected people. A control room has been set up to monitor the situation.
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