Planned relief drive a must

The overall flood situation in Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Sirajganj and Sylhet remained unchanged on Friday, marooning further thousands of people of the districts with untold inhuman sufferings, reports our district correspondents.  
Their condition further worsened yesterday as no relief materials, government or private, reached to them yet, excepting very few places. They have taken shelter in different schools, embankments and high places along with their poultry birds and domestic animals and passing their days almost half-feed for want of sufficient food and drinking water.  
The flood-hit people said that they needed more relief materials like dry food, drinking water and medicines immediately. Otherwise, flood-related diseases like diarrhoea would spread in an epidemic form in the affected areas. The government should need initiate coordinated relief operation, comprising local and district administrations, to cope up with the situation before it goes beyond the control, they suggested.  
Meanwhile, the Teesta at Dalia, the Ghagot at Gaibandha, the Brahmaputra at Chilmari, the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi, Sirajganj and Aricha were flowing above their respective danger marks yesterday. The Atrai at Baghabari, the Dhaleswari at Elasin, the Lakhya at Lakhpur, Padma at Goalundo, Sureswar, Surma at Sunamganj, the Kangsha at Jariajanjail and the Old Surma at Derai were also flowing above their respective danger levels.
In Lalmonirhat, the condition of the marooned people in 40 villages worsened as no relief materials, either government or private, reached to them till yesterday,
reports our correspondent.
About 80,000 people of the affected villages in Hatibandha, Aditmari, Kaliganj, Patgram and Sadar upazilas are staying in a rigorous condition without sufficient food and drinking water.
The Teesta was flowing five centimetres above the danger mark at Teesta Barrage point in Dowani area, said Bangladesh Water Development Board sources.
“We are living in an inhumane situation; we need immediate relief, including dry food,” said Nadirul Islam, 55, a stranded resident of Char Sholmari village in Kaliganj upazila.
More villages and croplands were inundated and over 200 families displaced on Thursday due to river erosion and an increase in water levels of the Teesta and other rivers in Lalmonirhat, Jamalpur and Netrakona.
The strong currents in the Padma interrupted ferry services on the Mawa-Kawrakandi route, causing severe traffic congestion and leaving many stranded on both ends for hours.
The Dharla river also swelled but was still flowing a centimetre below the danger level at Kulaghat point in Lalmonirhat Sadar.
“We are keeping open all 52 gates of the Teesta Barrage due to heavy currents from upstream,” said Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of the WDB at Dalia.
People from the flood-hit areas took shelter on the WDB dam and nearby roads. With no relief from any government or non-government organisations, they were faced with an acute crisis of food and drinking water.
In Gaibandha, overall flood situation in the chars and the Brahmaputra river basin under the four upazilas in the district remained unchanged as the rivers did not mark rise till Friday, giving a sign of improving flood situation.
However, the river Brahmaputra was flowing 9 cm below its danger mark at Fulchharighat point and the Ghagot which was flowing through the mainland of the district was still flowing 25 cm above its danger level at New Bridge point of the district town, officials said.
Due to the flood, over 36,000 people of nine unions of Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata Upazilas were marooned.
The standing crops, particularly Aman seed bed, Aus variety, T-Aman paddy and seedbed of late variety Ganzia paddy and summer vegetables, went under flood water making the farmers worried and frustrated.
Many flood victims taken shelter on the nearby flood control embankment and were passing their days miserably with their belongings including domestic animals and poultry birds for want of food and drinking water.
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Mir Abdur Razzak said as many as 1,456 hectares of crop land in the four Upazilas went under flood water, the quantity of losses caused by flood water could not be ascertained immediately.
Deputy Commissioner M. Ehsan-e-Elahi said the district and upazila administrations had distributed 200 metric tonnes of rice, and Taka 3 lakh given by the government to the flood victims of those upazilas so far.
Apart from it, 1,330 packages of relief materials including rice, potato, pulse, and oil donated by Jatiya Samaj Kallyan Parishad under the Ministry of Social Welfare also distributed to the flood victims on Thursday, he also said.
Our Kurigram Correspondent reports: The overall flood situation in the district reamained unchanged. More than 1.20 lakh people of 300 villages under nine upazilas of the district have been left marooned. Ropa Aman fields, seedlings and vegetables on 28,000 hectares of land have gone under flash flood water.
 Sub-Divisional Engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board(SDE) Sahir Uddin said that water level of the Brahmaputra is flowing 4cm abover the danger markat Chilmari ghat point under Chilmari upazila while water level of other rivers are flowing below their respective danger mark.
Some 26 points of the 114 kilometer flood control embankment are being threatened with heavy current of the river Brahmaputra, Dharla and Teesta. About 200 meter area of flood control embankment at Kalirkura area under Raniganj union of Chilmari upazila washed away. WDB officials and villagers are tryimng to protect the emeabankment throwing sand bags. Besides, they are also protecting aAnother embankment at Anantapur bazar under Hatea union of Ulipur upazila.
As reported, the Morichakandi Beribadh under Rajibpur upozila was also damaged following the current of the flood water yesterday. Fishes of about 100 ponds washed away. Most of the rural roads went under water. The flood victims have to move from one place to another by boat and raft.
However the flood victims took shelter on road side, high lands as well as embankment with their belongings, poultry birds and domestic animals leading their lives in sub human condition. Crisis of food, fodder and pure drinking water is prevailing there.
A good number of flood victims have not received any relief materials. A total of 85 medical teams have been formed to provide emergency treatment among the flood affected people during disaster, district civil surgeon officials said.
On the other hand, river erosion is going on in many parts of Roumai, Rajibpur, Chilmari,Rajarhat, Ulipur, Kurigram Sadar, Bhurungamari, Phulbari and Nageswari upazila forcing a good number of river side people homeless.
Kurigram deputy commissioner ABM Azad said that Tk 2 lakh in cash and 150 tonnes of rice have been received and those are being distributed among the flood victims. More lands are being eroded by the river. It is needed to start protection work against erosion in the union, he said.
Bidyananda UP Chairman (in-Charge) Md Fakhrul Islam said that the erosion has taken a serious turn in Paramoula and Mandir villages. More than 50 families have lost their houses and have taken shelter on roads. Other victims have shifted their houses to safer places. Many other houses and vast tract of land are facing threat of erosion by the river.
“We need more relief to tackle this situation,” he said further. Rajarhat UNO Md Sajedur Rahman said erosion by the river Teesta is going on at various points in Rajarhat upazila. “I have requested the local Water Development Board (WDB) officials to take necessary action.”
Five tonnes of rice is being distributed among 600 flood and erosion affected families of three unions in the upazila,” the UNO said. Executive Engineer of WDB, Kurigram, Abu Taher said: “We have sent a project proposal to the authorities concerned to protect these areas from river erosion. We will start work, as soon as we get fund.”
In Sirajganj, the flood also remained static yesterday and the river Jamuna was flowing 19cm above the danger mark.
Erosion on the banks of the river Jamuna also continued yesterday. As a result, 200 villages have been inundated rendering two lakh people marooned.
In Jamalpur, the flood situation remained unchanged as water level in the river Jamuna did not raise further. However, the river was flowing 36 cm above the danger mark at Bahadurabad ghat point yesterday.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Office sources said the flash flood affected nine unions in Islampur upazila, 7 unions in Dewanganj upazila 3 unions in Madarganj upazila and 6 unions in Sarishabari upazila, affecting over 71,000 people in four upazilas.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman said, 12 tonnes of rice and dried food were distributed among the flood victims in Islampur upazila and 2 tonnes rice and dried food distributed among the flood victims in Dewanganj upazila.
As many as 91 educational institutions have been closed in the district as flood water entered into class rooms, local administration sources said, adding, flood water damaged 21 kilometers carpeted roads and 144 kilometers earthen roads in the district.
Besides, flood water also washed away 2,010 meters dam in Islampur and Madarganj upazilas.