Floodwater recedes, diseases spread

With floodwater receding in Sylhet and Moulvibazar, waterborne diseases are spreading in the flood-hit areas as there is hardly any medical care for a large number of affected people.

Meanwhile, Jamalpur became the latest district to have been hit by flood this year as the Jamuna was flowing 27cm above the danger level at Bahadurabad Ghat point at 6:00pm yesterday.

Sources at Water Development Board said the river swelled due to downpour and onrush of water from upstream.

Sirajul Islam, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Sylhet, said the Kushiara was flowing 64cm above the danger level at Shewla point yesterday, down from 98cm the previous day.

“The situation will improve further if there is no rain in the next few days,” he added.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, water levels of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers were falling while the Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Ganges and Padma rivers were rising at many places yesterday.

People in Sylhet and Moulvibazar were suffering from waterborne diseases like typhoid fever, dysentery, diarrhoea and skin infections. Many complained about not receiving any medical attention and relief aid.

Visiting Baradal area in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila yesterday, The Daily Star found that 47-year-old Ila Begum, sitting on a boat, was pouring floodwater on her head to lower fever.

“I've been suffering from fever for a week. But no doctor or medical team visited our area since the flood hit us around two weeks ago. I don't have money to buy medicine,” she said.

Mitu Das, 17, of Karera village in the same upazila said his mother was suffering from diarrhoea, but he had no money to buy oral saline or medicine.

Mira Begum of the same village took shelter in the upazila's Badeghat area. She said, “We've been here for two weeks, but nobody gave us relief aid.”

Gitesh Das, Sekoi Mia and Kotu Das from Maijgaon village in Sylhet's Fenchuganj upazila said they didn't have relief aid yet.

Moulvibazar Civil Surgeon Dr Saytakam Chakrabary said 67 medical teams were working in three flood-hit upazilas to prevent any outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Himangshu Roy, civil surgeon of Sylhet, said 78 medical teams were deployed in the district's eight upazilas. They distributed oral saline and water purifying tablets among the flood victims.

JAMALPUR

Vast areas of low-lying lands in seven unions of Islampur upazila and four in Dewanganj went under water yesterday, leaving around 15,000 families marooned, according to upazila administrations.

Selim Khan, chairman of Chukaibari Union Parishad in Dewanganj, said around 250 families took shelter near a government warehouse in the upazila town.

Ahmed Kabir, deputy commissioner of Jamalpur, said the district administration was taking preparation to stand by the flood-hit people with relief aid.

Our correspondents in Moulvibazar and Jamalpur contributed to this report.2365259999