FLOOD SITUATION IN NORTH

Some areas remain inundated
People in char areas are hit by food shortage
STAR REPORT
Flood water has started receding in five districts, leaving people in the areas in distress as their houses and crop fields remain inundated.
Those who took shelter at flood centres have started returning home to find their houses damaged.
With the grazing fields still submerged, rearing cattle has become a challenge.
Meanwhile, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) in its bulletin at 9:00 am yesterday said, “Water of all the major rivers in the north-eastern region of the country is receding, which is likely to continue throughout the next 24 hours.”
Our correspondents from different districts have reported on the sufferings of the flood-hit people.
“We took shelter on the causeway. We starved ourselves and lived in makeshift polythene tents for three days. After returning home on Sunday, we found our house and furniture badly damaged by flood water,” said Afas Ali, 65, of Char Harinchara village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.
“We have two cows and four goats. As all the grasslands have gone under water, we cannot find anything to feed the cattle,” said Hazrat Ali, 57, a resident of Char Falimari village in the same upazila.
Almost 250 families of Char Falimari village are facing similar problems, said Hazrat.
According to sources in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram administrations, some 16,000 families of 90 char areas have been affected by the floods and fishes of 65 ponds have been washed away in Lalmonirhat; and 15,000 families of 185 chars have been affected in Kurigram along with fishes of 412 ponds being washed away.
“We received around five kilograms of rice as relief. But it is highly inadequate. We are suffering from food crisis,” said a flood-victim Ebadul Islam, 45, at Kisamot Satnai char of Nilphamari’s Dimla upazila.
In Sirajganj, low-lying areas are still submerged even though the Jamuna has been flowing below danger levels since yesterday.
“Water levels of Jamuna River started decreasing since the early hours of Monday. But it may rise again next week,” said Ranajit Kumar, sub-divisional engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Sirajganj.
Many people are marooned by flood water there.
Sirajganj District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) Md Akhter Hossain said they were preparing a list of flood-hit people for carrying out relief works.
Tara Pramaink, 50, of the Pakhir char of Bogura’s Sariakandi upazila, said, “Our area has remained inundated for the last five days. Both we and our cattle are facing food crisis.”
In Tangail, crops and vegetable fields in some low-lying areas such as Bhuanpur, Kalihati, Sadar, Nagarpur and Mirzapur upazilas remained inundated till yesterday.
The officials concerned in the flood-hit districts said they have already distributed dry foods among the flood-victims, who would also be provided with financial assistance.
[Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat, Pabna, Bogura, Nilphamari and Tangail contributed to the report]