The houses are barely standing on bamboo poles with fences broken, other parts dilapidated, and foundation submerged under water.

Some residents have found the most elevated space within their houses to stay put, while many have taken refuge in shelters or in their relatives' houses.

This was witnessed by this correspondent when he visited Murshibadakura, Baramaidan, Durgai, Paschim Gagra, Purba Gagra, Srirampur, Hakaluki Haor areas of Talimpur union under Barlekha upazila of Moulvibazar yesterday.

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Floods in Sylhet: Thousands in dire need of relief

Many people in these areas chose to remain in their homes despite immense sufferings due to the ongoing flood which began on June 15.

Vast stretches of land have been inundated by floodwaters, especially in Hakaluki Haor and adjoining areas, with villages appearing as a vast water body when this correspondent was on his way to Murshibadkura village by boat.

To make things worse, waves from the haor are hitting the waterlogged houses, washing away soil from the bases and weakening the foundations further.

Residents were trying to protect their houses from the waves with bamboo, pieces of corrugated iron sheets, and water hyacinths.

The fear of snakes looms large at night.

"I have two daughters, and 5-6 cattle. It is difficult to navigate the waterlogged surroundings to reach the shelters. So I remained home, even though we are essentially trapped inside for three weeks. The flood situation keeps worsening," said Husna Begum, a resident of Murshibadkura village.

"No help has reached us yet. We are struggling to survive," she added.

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Sylhet floods worsening

Kamrul Islam, a fisherman from the same area, said the flood this year has been a big blow.

"We have not recovered yet from the damage caused by the 2022 flood. This year, the storm caused a lot of damage to the house. Then the flood has left us reeling. We are spending sleepless nights in fear of waves and snakes.

Somehow, I am putting food on the plates for the family by catching fish. No one can understand the difficulty poor people like us are going through," he said.

Fokhor Uddin of Baramaidan village said, "Our house got significantly damaged in the flood. It will take a lot of money to fix the house once the flood recedes."

Najratun Naeem, UNO of Barlekha upazila, said, "We have sufficient stock of food grains. Instructions have been given to ensure that no flood-affected person is left out of relief supplies."