POBNEWS24, Dhaka, June 21, 2022 :
Four days have passed since the catastrophic floods in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Most areas are still without electricity. Although the train movement has returned to normal, the roads are under water. Starting from the divisional city Sylhet, the district town Sunamganj is still almost isolated from the rest of the country.
In such a situation, the safe shelter of the people trapped in the flood could not be fully ensured. The local administration could not overcome the crisis of food and potable water in the flood affected areas. Most of the institutions including hospitals and banks are closed due to flooding. Apart from the city of Sylhet, there is no mobile phone network in the area, and internet service is also closed. However, on Sunday, many people got internet connection from the roof of a tall building in Sunamganj city. Contacted relatives.
Meanwhile, after four days, the sun was seen in Sylhet and Sunamganj yesterday morning. Although it rained once or twice a day in Sylhet, the heavy rain stopped. Although the water level in the two cities has decreased a bit, the flood situation in the upazilas is stable. However, people are not worried as the mountain slopes continue to flow from the upper reaches of India through rivers. According to the Water Development Board (Paubo), water levels in all the rivers in Sylhet have continued to rise. The waters of Surma and Kushiyar, the two main rivers, are flowing at three points above the danger level.
Apart from Sylhet and Sunamganj, Netrokona, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Sherpur, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Brahmanbaria have been flooded till yesterday . The flood waters have inundated 63 upazilas of these 15 districts. Till yesterday, 10 people were reported drowned in flood waters in different parts of the country.
People in need of food
Runa Akhter, a one-and-a-half-year-old child, used to eat lei (a meal made of flour or flour) along with breast milk. The child has not been getting proper food for three days. He is with his family at Badaghat Model School and College Shelter in Sylhet Sadar Upazila. Runa is crying all the time because she is not filling her stomach with breast milk.
Not only Runa, but other children in the shelter are in the same situation. The food provided in the shelter is suitable for adults. They are suffering because there is no food suitable for children. The children are crying for food.
Selim Ahmed, a resident of Shimultala village, has taken shelter at Telikhal High School in Kompaniganj, Sylhet. He said 400 people had come to the shelter four days ago. Only one time Chira, Mudi and Gur received. Now they are suffering from lack of food and potable water. Besides, they are cramming 400 people in 12 rooms of the three-storey shelter. No one is sleeping properly. Many are getting sick due to lack of sleep and food. Even if they get shelter, it is as if they are now homeless.
The district administration said in a press release that 2 lakh 30 thousand 732 people have taken shelter in 498 shelters in Sylhet district. In addition, 31 thousand cattle have taken place. Sylhet Deputy Commissioner in this regard. Mojibur Rahman told Prothom Alo that relief is being distributed in the flood-hit areas including the shelters. However, due to the disconnection of communication, it is not possible to reach relief in different places due to the crisis of watercraft. In addition, the number of shelters is being increased as more people are coming.
Gaurinagar village is next to Sylhet-Companyganj highway. The village was also submerged in the flood waters. However, due to the high elevation of the highway passing in front of the village, the flood waters did not rise there. In this situation, said the village forty. Shahjahan took shelter with his mother, wife, daughter and brother in a truck on the road. Triple pulled the truck to avoid the rain. Then they are here for three days. They have spent these days eating only dry food. Didn’t get any relief.
Bir Muktijoddha Joynal Abedin, 62, a resident of Mohammadpur area of Sunamganj city, said many people have left three-storey and four-storey buildings for the people of the city. Many locals have rescued the people trapped in their houses and placed them in these buildings. Those who can afford to feed are also feeding the asylum seekers. But the meal is over. If the water does not recede quickly, the situation will worsen.
People trapped in water suffer
There is no ground to stand anywhere in Sunamganj city. Although the water level has dropped a bit, the city is still submerged in four to six feet of water. Shops, offices, courts, water everywhere. There is no opportunity to travel without a boat. Thousands of people have taken shelter in multi-storied buildings of the city including schools-colleges, mosques, offices-courts, roofs of houses, high bridges. In some places 20 to 30 people have taken shelter in one house.
Salauddin Mahbub, owner of a building in Mohammadpur area of Sunamganj, said, ‘Many people have lost their shelter and come back. In this way the danger will come suddenly, it was not even in the imagination. People did not understand in advance. No one could have imagined that such anger would come down in a few hours. Since there are a lot of people in each building, many are spending sleepless nights. There is a crisis of food and clean water.
Anwarul Islam, a resident of Kompaniganj Upazila Sadar in Sylhet, said he was trapped in the water. Four days ago, while moving the household goods, he got high fever due to soaking in rain water. The doctor could not show up as the hospital was submerged in water. The drug store is also not open.
Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Musharraf told that the army and navy were working to rescue the stranded people. As of last Saturday, army members had rescued at least 2,000 people trapped in the two districts.
