Flash flood in Sylhet: 6.43 lakh people stranded in eight upazilas

At least 6.43 lakh people have been marooned in Sylhet's eight upazilas as flash floods hit the district early Thursday, according to the local administration.

Vast swathes of low-lying areas in Gowainghat, Companiganj, Jaintiapur, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Beanibazar, Golapganj, and Sadar upazilas went under water owing to incessant rains and a gush of water from upstream areas in neighbouring Indian Meghalaya State since Wednesday night.

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Three lakh stranded as flash flood hits 4 upazilas of Sylhet

As a result, homes, schools, vegetable fields, fish enclosures, and key roads were submerged in 48 unions under these eight upazilas.

The flood-affected people are suffering from shortage of food and drinking water.

"Water entered my home so quickly that I could barely save any of my belongings. Paddy stored in the house got wet, and my fish worth Tk 7 lakh in three ponds were washed away," Moklisur Rahman, a resident of Nayagram Uttar area in Gowainghat upazila, told this newspaper last morning as he was drying his crop on a road.

Sabina Akhter's house, located in the same village next to a haor, was swept away by strong currents when the flash floods hit first.

"We had to take shelter at a neighbour's house. We'll now have to take out a loan to rebuild the house, but we aren't sure how we would repay the loan," she said.

Malika Begum of Forfora village in Jaintiapur upazila said her family along with eight other families took refuge at a shelter early Thursday.

"There were 15 families last night. Seven of them left as the floodwater in their localities receded. But we are still not being able to return home as the situation has not improved in our village," she said.

With the Sari-Gowain river flowing below danger level, the floodwaters were slowly receding yesterday in five upazilas that were first hit by the flash floods -- Gowainghat, Companiganj, Jaintiapur, Kanaighat, Zakiganj.

As of 6:00pm yesterday, the river was flowing 24cm below the danger mark at Gowainghat point and 34cm below the danger mark at Sarighat point, where the river flowed 33cm above the danger mark around the same time on Thursday.

In the last 24 hours till 6:00pm yesterday, 15mm rainfall was recorded in Kanaighat upazila and 19mm in Sylhet Sadar upazila.

Meanwhile, 193mm of rainfall was recorded in Cherrapunji, Meghalaya in the last 24 hours till 9:00am yesterday.

While water levels in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers dropped yesterday, they flowed above the danger marks at three points.

With the rivers still flowing above the danger levels, parts of Sylhet city's Uposohor, Taltala, and other areas were freshly inundated yesterday.

The district administration has prepared 547 centres to provide shelter to those affected. A least 3,739 people were staying at the shelters yesterday, compared to 4,802 on Thursday night.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Russel Hasan said, "The rain has largely subsided, and the overall flood situation is slowly improving, with many returning home from shelters. We have allocated sufficient relief goods for the affected people. We are monitoring the situation round the clock."