3 million stranded as flood hits eight districts
The overall flood situation in Feni, Noakhali, Cumilla and Noakhali worsened yesterday due to downpours and swelling of many rivers.
A pregnant woman in Brahmanbaria's Akhaura upazila died after being swept away as floodwater rushed into her home.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Vast tracts of land in Habiganj and Moulvibazar and parts of Brahmanbaria and Chattogram have gone under water.
The flooding in the eight districts has left over three million people stranded. Feni and Noakhali are the worst-affected districts.
In Feni, Parshuram, Fulgazi, and Chhagalnaiya upazilas have been badly affected. Besides, large areas under four unions of Feni Sadar and Daganbhuiyan upazilas have been inundated due to rise in the water level of the Chhota Feni river.
Many areas of the district have been without electricity since Tuesday night. The Feni-Parshuram regional road became impassable as floodwater submerged it. One person was reportedly missing in Parshuram.
The Muhuri, Silonia and Kahua rivers swelled further yesterday.
Locals said they did not see such massive flooding in the last 37 years.
Mohammad Selim, a former member of Anandapur union parishad, said Fulgazi and Parshuram upazilas experience floods every year due to onrush of water from upstream, but severe flooding like this year's did not occur since 1988.
He said floodwater entered almost every house in Parshuram, Fulgazi, and Chhagalnaiya upazilas.
In Noakhali, the flood situation deteriorated yesterday due to incessant rains and tidal surges.
Flooding has left over 1.9 million people stranded in eight upazilas, including Kabirhat, Senbagh, Companiganj and Begumganj, and several municipalities, said Dewan Mahbubur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Noakhali.
Among them are over one lakh people in the municipalities.
In Cumilla, the Gumti and the Muhuri swelled yesterday, thanks to incessant rain and the opening of a sluice gate at the Dumber Lake in Tripura, India. The flooding has affected over 50,000 people.
Floods have hit Adarsha Sadar, Burichang, Brahmanpara, Debidwar, and Muradnagar upazilas, according to the Water Development Board.
The death toll from floods caused by incessant rains and landslides has risen to eight in Tripura, according to Indian media reports.
In Brahmanbaria, the Akhaura land port went under water due to onrush of water from upstream in Indian's Tripura. At least 15 villages near the port have been affected by floods, leaving around 3,000 people stranded.
Traffic on the Akhaura-Agartala road was suspended yesterday morning after a Bailey bridge over the Kalundi canal collapsed.
In Akhaura upazila, a pregnant woman died after being swept away by floodwater.
The deceased was identified as Subarna Akhter, a resident of Birchandrapur village, said Lutfur Rahman, resident medical officer of Akhaura Upazila Health Complex.
Quoting locals, Jalal Uddin, chairman of Akhaura Dakkhin Union Parishad, said the onrush of water from Tripura broke the dam of Howrah river yesterday morning, inundating at least 15 nearby villages, including Birchandrapur.
As the floodwater suddenly entered Subarna's house, she tried to leave the house hurriedly to save herself, and fell into the strong current, he said.
As she was pregnant, she failed to swim ashore, he added.
The overall flood situation in Habiganj and Moulvibazar worsened yesterday as the Khowai, the Kushiyara, the Manu, the Dhalai, and the Juri were overflowing at many points.
More than 80,000 people were stranded as 208 villages in Moulvibazar went under water.
The flood situation in Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila and its nearby areas deteriorated yesterday due to incessant rain. The Halda was flowing above the danger level.
A part of a dyke at the mouth of Shikder canal in Sitakunda upazila's Banshbaria area was damaged yesterday.
"A portion of the dyke was damaged due to onrush of water from upstream," said SM Tarek, sub-divisional engineer of the Water Development Board.
The interim government has taken adequate preparation to tackle the floods in the country.
"We have adequate preparation," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters yesterday.
Briefing reporters at the Secretariat yesterday afternoon, KM Ali Reza, additional secretary of the disaster management and relief ministry, expressed concern that more areas may be flooded in the next few days.
He said they have already sent relief materials and dry food to the affected districts.
"The local administration is working in coordination with the deputy commissioners of the flood-affected districts, the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the army and volunteers," he added.
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