With water levels receding, hundreds of people in Sylhet are returning to their homes from shelter centres. Many have begun rebuilding their damaged houses.

Sitara Begum, 60, of Jamura village in Sunamganj's Chhatak, returned from the shelter centre yesterday, only to find her house badly damaged.

"The 2022 flood destroyed my old house completely. I then took a small loan to rebuild it and am still paying for that loan. Now that my home is damaged again, I don't know what to do," she said.

Khosru Uddin, who was in the Maizpara shelter centre on the banks of the Manu river, said their house has been damaged by floods twice. It is now too dangerous to stay in that house, he added.

Shayesta Mia, a resident of Shamshanghat area, said water levels in the river started falling since Friday (June 21).

On Friday night, the mayor of Moulvibazar municipality gave 10kg of rice per household. Government and private food assistance is much lower than the demand, said locals.

Sajjad Hossain of Bhukshimoil area of Kulaura upazila said his area is still waterlogged.

The situation in Kulaura, Juri, and Barlekha upazilas has also not normalised yet.

Javed Iqbal, executive engineer of the Water Development Board in Moulvibazar, said the water of the Monu and Dhalai rivers in Moulvibazar has started decreasing and is under the danger level.

The second round of floods started early on the night of June 17. Over 2.2 million people in Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Moulvibazar districts were affected.

The flood forced around 58,000 people to move to shelter centres, while thousands took shelter in other people's houses, high roads, and rail tracks.

Though water has receded, the administration is yet to calculate the losses incurred in terms of houses and other infrastructures.

Water levels in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers are still flowing above the danger level at some points, prolonging flooding in many areas.

The Surma was flowing 22 cm above the danger level in Sylhet's Kanaighat, while the Kushiyara was flowing 99 cm above danger level in Sylhet's Fenchuganj and 40 cm in Zakiganj.

According to BWDB, the Juri river of Moulvibazar contributes to the water level of the Kushiyara.

Sarder Uday Raihan, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, said the flood situation in the Sylhet region will improve in the next 72 hours which started from Sunday morning.

Given the improved flood situation, tourist spots in Sylhet and Sunamganj -- including Jaflong, Sadapathor, Ratargul, and Tanguar Haor -- have been reopened by the administration.