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Flood situation in Sylhet, Sunamganj further deteriorates

JTF expands operation to Sylhet

By Staff Correspondent
The US Joint Task Force, code-named Operation Sea Angel', expanded its activities to flood-hit Sylhet district providing humanitarian assls lance to the affected people. A C-13O US Air Force aircraft carried the first consignment of relief supplies to the marooned people on Sunday
Director of the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation said the relief materials were donated by the people. The supply included fried rice, milk
powder. flour, biscuits and beaten rice The relief goods will be distributed by the Bangladesh Army tn the flood hit areas of Sylhet.
The distribution of relief supplies by the Operation Sea Angel will be made In 95 unions of Sylhet engulfed by flood since May 1.
An official source expressed apprehension that the situation might worsen as the monsoon in Bangladesh begins in April.
More supplies have been provided by relief organisa lions. Red Cross. CAKE and UNICEF, a USIS press release said
Meanwhile. The flood situation In Sylhet and Sunamganj further worsened on Monday Though the water started receding from the upper basin of the Kushtyara and the Surma, fresh areas in Biswanath upazila tn Sylhet and Jagannathpur tn Sunamgunj were inundated. The flood sit-
uation In Moulvlbazrrr however remained unchanged.
The river Monu rose to 10 cm In the last 24 hours and was flowing 45 cm above the danger mark tpundating more areas In Moulvibazar district About seven lakh people have been aflectcd by the flash flood in the district, which also damaged crops on 40,830 acres of land
Our Sylhet correspondent S B lias reports: I’cople were still languishing in shelters and highways. More kutcha houses gave in as water was receding. . Loss to standing crops and other property is put at Tk 100 crore in Sylhet district alone, according to preliminary re ports. Relief was being dis trlbuted from upazila sadar after being transported by he lisorties totalling 11 till writing of this report. The union chairmen are facing great dif ficult(es in reaching them to villages.
The urgent task of rehabilitating the affected people in shattered houses and farms is yet to be planned. Diarrhoea and other intestinal diseases have been sporadic so far but is apprehended to take a worse turn when people return to homes In absence of tubcwells and other sources of safe drinking water.
According to latest official figure, flood has left 1,33,760 people in 2,412 square kilometers of 95 unions totally battered. Fortynine people have been killed and over 1000 injured in the flood, lightning, house collapse, according to the control room. But unofficial sources put the figures twice as high.
Our staffer S Y Bakht. who visited Balaganj upazila of Sylhet on Monday reports : Inadequate relief operation has increased the sufferings of the flood victims of the upazila.
After nearly 20 days since the flood-hit the area, no government relief has reached the village Sherpur, 15 miles away from Balaganj upazila head quarters. The flood-hit people of the villages — Khoshrupur and Awarangapur — also alleged that they were get to be provided with any relief materials.
Almost a|l the houses of these two villages have been damaged by the gushing water of the Kushiyara.
Torabullah (40) of village Khoshrupur said : "1 haVc not beep given any relief by the government agencies so far". He was living with his family on a machan' as his house went under five to six feet water.
Tarlqul Islam. State Minister for Social Welfare and Women Affairs, told The Daily Star in Sylhet that army would start relief operation in Balaganj upazila from Tuesday.
Army personnel have already been deployed in
Kanaighat. Oolapganj.
Fenchuganj and Jaklganj upazi
Our staffer said, two more persons died of dysentery in Fenchuganj upazila raising the death toll to 41 in the district. They were Identified as Elisa (2) and Godoi Bibi.
The offlccr-in-chargc of Companiganj upazila told The Daily Star that malaria had broken out In the upazila and at least 70 people had already been attacked. No confirmation by the doctors of the upazila health complex or by the flood control room was available on Monday.
Reports from Moulvibazar said, high waves and gusty winds as well as shortage of country boats were hampering the relief operations in the haor areas of Baralekha, Kulaura and parts of Rajnagar and Sadar upazilas of the district.
The affected people were seen coming to the Moulvibazar town.
A total of 14.954 houses were damaged completely and 26,884 partially in six affected upazilas of the district. Over seven lakh people were affected but the relief operations were reportedly insufficient.