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Sylhet airport remains out of operation

Floods in north, northeast likely to worsen; death toll now 93

Star Report
Flight operations at MAG Osmani International Airport in Sylhet remained suspended for the second day yesterday as part of the runway was under floodwaters that deluged northern and northeastern districts killing93 peoplesince July 1.
Water receded from much of the runway, but the side strips were under water, an official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh told The Daily Star last night, adding flights may resume today if the situation improves. I
Army and paramilitary personnel were called out to discipline relief distribution in Sunamganj, flooded by the downpour and runoff from Indian hilly regions. ®he ^tar
Some contingents from Jalalabad Cantonment joined the relief operation in Chhatak upazila and some more from Comilla Cantonment were on the way to Sylhet to join them to carry out relief work in Companyganj, Kanaighat, Gowainghat and Sadar upazilasin Sylhet.
Rail links between Sylhet and other districts remain snapped since Monday night as the rail stations went under knee-deep water.
Train service up to Kulaura junction was on and all intercity and express trains in and out of Dhaka and Chittagong are now running up to Kulaura.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the floods in the north and northeast are likely to worsen as different rivers surged because of downpour twinned with upstream overspills.
Hundreds of people living on Rajshahi shoals started moving to town or other places for safety as the surging Padma flooded a vast tract of lowlands and shoals.
Floodwaters inundated an exploratory gas field of state-run Bapex at Srikail in Muradnagar upazila in Comilla, seriously damaging the drilling equipment.
Officials said the gas structure would not be affected by the waters, without giving details on the extent of damage to the costly rig and other drilling machinery.
Thousands of people in the floodhit districts are living with a little or no food and relief is yet to reach them. Torrential rains added to their woes.
Rushing waters blasted eight holes in the 10-kilometere DND (Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra) flood control embankment on Monday, as driving rains and upstream overspills sent most rivers around the capital surging above the danger mark.
The Water Development Board (WDB), Wasa and Roads and Highways officials along with locals plugged the holes at Bamoil, Konapara, Deilla, Matuail and Karim Jute Mill points.
DEATH BY WATER
According to news dispatches from the flood-ravaged districts, at least 23 more people died in the last one week in different places, taking the death toll to 93 since the beginning of monsoon, blamed for the deluge in two other South Asian countries India and Nepal.
Papiya, 3, Fatema, 5, and Osman Ali, 55, of Agatalukandi village in Sylhet died of diarrhoea yesterday and about 100 other villagers became ill
with the waterborne disease. Locals found the bodies, one covered with funeral clothes, floatingin floodwaters.
The body of Abdur Rashid, upazila food controller of Gowainghat, who was missing in a boat-capsize on Sunday, was retrieved on Monday.
Our Bogra correspondent reports: Thousands of embankment sabotage victims in Dhunat upazila in Bogra did not get any relief since the July 14 incident.
The local administration said officials distributed 44 tonnes of rice among the people in Bhandarbari and Goshaibari, still under water.
The police arrested Goshaibari Union Parishad (UP) member Shah Jalal on Tuesday for his alleged roles in misappropriation of relief.
Although WDB officials filed a general diary with Dhunat Police Station accusing unnamed saboteurs of cutting the dam, local lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj accused some newspapers of publishing 'false' reports linking some people to the sabotage.
Our Brahmanbaria correspondent said: At least 13 people drowned in floodwaters in five upazilas in the district in a week. All roads including the Dhaka-Agartala Road have gone under floodwater.
Modhumoti erosion has turned serious leaving 1,500 people homeless and threatening to displace about 1,000 others.
The floods in Barisal, Bhola and Patuakhali worsened in the last 24 hours, our Barisal correspondent said.
Our Moulvibazar correspondent reported that all six upazilas in the district are submerged and the water levelin the rivers is going up.
The floods hit 58 of 65 unions in Manikganj and all 13 unions in Harirampur upazila, our Manikganj correspondent reports.
About 62,000 houses and crops on 1,31,648 hectares were damaged and diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases have broken out in the areas affecting about 300 people.
Our Pabna correspondent reported that 40 unions in eight upazilas went under water in the last 24 hours. Officials said the floods damaged 6,500 houses and parts of 35,000 houses.
A correspondent from Sherpur adds: Three more people have drowned in floodwaters since Sunday as the flood situation deteriorated in the district.