After the flood-protection dam was breached and 13 villages in Deluti union under Khulna's Paikgachha upazila were flooded last Thursday, around 7-8 thousand people had to leave their homes and take shelter on higher grounds, including other parts of the embankment, roadsides, and different educational institutions.

Kalpana Mandal and Chanchala Mandal of Kalinagar village were among 300 families who have been living in the shelter at Kalinagar College since then.

Different organisations have been providing relief assistance to them, including dry food, biscuits, or cooked food.

Even though the villagers repaired the breached portion of the dam on last Tuesday, water has yet to recede from Kalpana's home.

"Our two mud houses were damaged in the flood. I managed to bring our three goats with us to the shelter, but I could not manage much food for them yet. I am worried," said Kalpana.

She said they had to face the same ordeal in May this year after Cyclone Remal.

"We had 11 cattle, which we had to sell since there was no way to feed those. Now we have only these three goats left, and there is hardly any food for them either," she said.

She demanded a permanent solution to the repeated breach of the dam.

"Our ordeals keep recurring time and again. All our shrimp and fish in two enclosures were washed away this time. The river eroded away 35 bighas of my father-in-law's land over the years. Only sever bighas are left, which are at risk of being devoured by the river if its onslaught continues. We need a sustainable solution," Kalpana added.

Chanchala Mandal shared similar plights.

"We have become destitute and have to live by asking others for food. I was cultivating watermelons; all of those have been washed away by flood," she said.

Sukriti Mohan Sarkar, a local school teacher, said students, government, private institutions, and voluntary organisations have stood beside the affected people, providing them with dry and cooked food, saline, polythene sheets, clothes, and other items as flood relief.

"However, many people in remote areas are yet to receive any help and are suffering a lot," he added.

Mohitosh Mandal of Harinkhola village said he incurred a loss of Tk 4 lakh as all prawns and lobsters of his three enclosures were washed away in flood.

Deluti Union Parishad Chairman Ripon Kumar Mandal said while locals repaired the breached part of the dam, it is uncertain how long it can hold the onrush of Bhadra river's water.

"Numerous houses were damaged, vast stretches of crop fields submerged, fish enclosures washed away, and hundreds of people were living in shelters and higher grounds after being displaced due to the flood. Without significant government assistance, there is hardly any scope for the people to turn around from the prevailing situation," he said.

He too called for a sustainable embankment.

Saikat Mallik, senior fisheries officer of Paikgachha upazila, said 305 tonnes of fish and 194 tonnes of prawns and shrimps from more than 600 farms and enclosures have been washed away, causing damage worth around Tk 28.83 crore.

"We have sent the report to senior officials to compensate the farmers,'' he added.

Abdul Karim, district disaster and rehabilitation officer in Khulna, said at least 2,466 families from 13 villages have been affected.

"So far, about 4,500 people are in shelters and on the embankment. Some have started returning home in areas where the water receded," he also said.

Mentioning that a full assessment of the damages sustained will be done soon, he said so far they have allocated 24 tonnes of rice and Tk 1 lakh cash as relief to the victims.