Moulvibazar flood victims cry for pure water

Flood victims in the district are badly suffering from lack of pure drinking water although the overall flood situation has slightly improved with the decrease of water level of Manu and Dhalai rivers yesterday.

According to the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), 806 tube-wells and deep tube-wells have been damaged in Moulvibazar.

Visiting Rajnagar upazila of Moulvibazar, this correspondent saw people using floodwater for drinking and household purposes.

Abdul Hakim of Karimpur area said some portions of two houses in his village had collapsed in the past few days. The families are now passing their days in shortage of food and in fear of being washed way, he said.

Husna Begum of the same village said they are surviving on dried food and are facing shortage of drinking water.

Popy Begum of Panchgaon village said they are eating only bread, flattened rice, puffed rice and molasses. Sometime they get cooked food from relatives who have not been hit by the flood, she added.

Minara Begum of Borohat village in Sadar upazila said rain and onrush of water from the hills have caused flooding in many areas, creating a crisis of drinking water.

A lot of villagers are selling off their domestic animals at low prices as there is an acute crisis of fodder and fresh water and many grazing fields are under water.

Moina Begum, 32, of Jalalpur village under Kulaura upazila said they use floodwater for drinking, cooking and other household works.

Bodrul Islam, 45, said they are suffering from various water-borne diseases as they have no other alternative but to drink impure water.

District Water Development Board Executive Engineer Ronendro Shankar Chakrabarty said the overall flood situation improved yesterday.

The Kusiara river was flowing 32 cm above the danger mark at Sherpur point, he said.

District DPHE Executive Engineer Sohrab Uddin Ahmed said they have informed the higher authorities of the matter, and sought emergency allocation of fund for repairing tube-wells and deep tube-wells.

“One lakh water purification tablets came after the relief minister's visit and we have distributed 17,000 tablets,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Tofael Islam said they have taken initiative to supply safe water to the flood-affected areas.

At least 2,50,430 people of 30 unions in the district have been affected by the flood, he added.

Meanwhile, road link between Bangladesh and Tripura remained cut off since June 12 as the bridge connecting Kailashahar to Moulvibazar collapsed due to the onrush of floodwater.

The part of the bridge adjacent to Sharifpur union of Kulaura upazila went under water due to erosion of the earthen base of the bridge.

Sharifpur Union Parishad Chairman Md Junab Ali said all import-export activities at Chatlapur land port have been halted and many people remain stranded on both sides of the Manu river. No repair work has been started yet to restore the important road link.

“We are planning to construct a Bailey bridge on the route,” said district Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Mintu Ranjan Debnath.

Jamal Hosen, immigration officer of the area, said many passengers from Bangladesh and India are stuck on both sides of the collapsed bridge.