Embankment breach inundates Feni villages: B’putra flood recedes

UNB :
Seven villages in Fulgazi upazila of Feni district have got submerged as the flood control embankment along the Muhuri River collapsed due to the onrush of water, destroying crops and dwellings.
The river was flowing 140 cm above its danger level, cutting off road communications with Parshuram areas.
Sources at the upazila administration and Water Development Board (WDB) said the embankment at Jaipur point in Fulgazi Sadar Union got damaged due to the deluge of water from across the border.
They said the floods sent Fulgazi Sadar Union, West Ghaniamora, East Ghaniamora and Kismat Ghaniamoa, Jaipur, North Daulatpur, South Dinajpur and Bairagpur areas under water, damaging houses and huge crops.
Fulgazi Union Parishad (UP) chairman Nurul Islam said the floodwater poured into the villages through the damaged parts of the embankment at Jaipur part in Sadar Union.
Abdur Rahim, a resident of East Ghania Mora village, said, “Our homestead has been flooded. We’ve lost all of our crops.”
Zahir Uddin, executive engineer of WDB Feni office, said the water in the Muhuri River was flowing 140 cm above the danger level. “The river will swell further if the water from the upstream continues to pour in,” he said.
Locals said they have been hit by floods thrice this monsoon-on July 1, August 26 and last on September 5. The repeated damages of the embankment are flooding the areas leaving them in dire straits.
Cyclones, heavy monsoon rains and floods are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by 230 rivers.
BSS adds: Many displaced people started returning homes following further improvement of the flood situation in the deluge-hit northern districts in the Brahmaputra basin during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Tuesday.Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said water levels of major rivers marked further sharp falls to flow below their respective danger levels (DL) at most places except at Kazipur and Sirajganj points on Tuesday.
The improving trend in the flood situation may continue with further recession in water levels of the major rivers in the basin during the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, sporadic incidents of riverbank erosion have been reported from several points alongside the Dharla, Dudhkumar, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Ghaghot and Jamuna rivers due to stronger river current with recession of floodwater.
Water levels of the Brahmaputra marked falls by 25cm at Noonkhawa, 28cm at Hatia and 25cm at Chilmari while Dharla marked fall by 41cm at Kurigram and Ghaghot by 26cm at Gaibandha points during the last 24 hours.
Water levels of the Jamuna marked sharp falls by 32cm at Fulchhari, 35cm at Shaghata, 34cm at Bahadurabad, 29cm at Sariakandi, 22cm at Kazipur and 25cm at Sirajganj points during the period.
The Brahmaputra was flowing below the DL by 98cm at Noonkhawa, 82cm at Haita and 33cm at Chilmari while Dharla by 33cm at Kurigram and Ghaghot by 53cm below the DL at Gaibandha points at 9 am on Tuesday.
The Jamuna was flowing below the DL by 39cm at Fulchhari, 57cm at Shaghata, 36cm at Bahadurabad, 2cm each at Sariakandi while above the DL by 11cm at Kazipur and 8cm at Sirajganj points at 9 am.
However, water levels of the Teesta marked rises by 10cm at Dalia and 3cm at Kawnia points in Nilphamari and were flowing below the DL by 20cm and 52cm at these points respectively at 9 am on Tuesday.