Army deployed in hill districts to tackle flood

Staff Reporter :
The government on Tuesday deployed army to tackle the flood and landslide situations in the affected areas of Chattogram and Bandarban.
At least three lakh people over hundreds of villages of 60 unions under nine upazilas of Cox’s Bazar have become waterlogged due to torrential rain and landslides for five consecutive days.
Communications between Chattagram, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban have been snapped.
Meanwhile, the government has declared all the educational institutions in five hill districts-Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Khagrachari, Bandarban and Rangamati-to shut for two days due to incessant rainfalls.
Most of the hill tract area’s roads and houses are submerged, which created shortage of food and pure water in the flood affected areas.
In Bandarban, low-lying roads are all underwater, while some internal roads have been blocked due to landslides. Houses on the bank of river Sangu have already been submerged as the water level kept rising.
Amid these dire conditions, things have taken a more tragic turn as three people were reported dead due to floods on Tuesday. Among them, a child drowned in Ramu and a businessman died of snakebite in Pekua.
However, at least five people were reportedly killed till Monday as days of heavy rain, in Bangladesh and its upstream countries, India and Myanmar, triggered sporadic landslides and flash floods in the hilly part of Chattogram and Bandarban, damaging hundreds of houses, and washing away flood protection embankments and fish enclosures.
Major rivers in the hill basin flowed far above their danger levels-up to 3 metres-as the rain continued without break amid an onrush of water from the upstream, leaving many areas, including in cities and towns, submerged in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Feni.
Our correspondent in Chattogram reported that a trader, Shahed Hossain, 38, went missing after falling from a boat in Urkir Char area of Raojan upazila on Monday evening.
Traffic movement on Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway was snapped on Tuesday as the road in Keranihat and Kasaipara areas of Satkania upazila went under water.
Onrush of water from the upstream in Bandarban increased the water level of the River Sangu and Dalu Khal in Satkania upazila. Most of the areas in Satkania, Lohagara, Chandanaish, Patia, Anowara and Bashkhali upazilas were inundated.
Electricity supplies in Dohazari, Satkania and Lohagara upazilas remained shut since Monday afternoon as substations in the upazilas went under water, said Chattogram PDB engineer Md Rezaul Karim.
According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), the water levels of all the major rivers in the north and north-eastern region including the Brahmaputra-Jamuna Rivers are in rising trend and the situation may continue in next 48 hours. However, the water levels of the Ganges-Padma Rivers are in steady state and may continue in next 24 hours, the FFWC report said.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department forecast that isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over Northeast India, Bihar and Uttarakhand during next five days and subdued rainfall activity likely over rest parts of the country during next one week.
Most of the roads of the flooded region went under water and communications of the districts with other places almost disconnected with other places.
The Bangladesh Army and law enforcement agencies have working to restore the communication and rescue the people from their water confinement condition.
Most of the people of the flood affected areas have been taken to flood centers and necessary relief materials have been served for the distressed people.
According to our correspondent and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the vehicular movement on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar route remained halted as all the roads in Chattogram city went under knee-deep water.
Meanwhile, the communication on the Ruma-Thanchi route also remained suspended as tree fell on the road following multiple lanslides.
Members of Bangladesh Army have been deployed in the Bandarban and Chattogram districts to tackle the ongoing floods and landslides.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Rashedul Alam Khan, assistant director of ISPR, said the army will work to deal with the flood and landslide situations in the two districts.
Chattogram has been at a standstill due to heavy downpour for the past four days. The streets, alleys and houses of the city have been submerged in water.
The shuttle train has been closed for water logging on the railway line. The authorities of Chattogram University on Monday postponed the final examinations in at least four departments of the university.
On Monday, four people were killed in separate landslides incidents in Cox’s Bazar, while a woman and her daughter were killed in Bandarban landslides.
Heavy downpour over the past few days have also led to a severe flood situation in the town, leaving nearly 30,000 people marooned.
According to our correspondent from Bandarban, three people, including a mother and her daughter, were killed and six others injured in landslides triggered by the torrential rain in Bandarban district on Monday and Tuesday.
Shah Mozahid Uddin, deputy commissioner of Bandarban, said Nurul Islam, 35, was killed and six others were injured when a chunk of mud collapsed on his house at Kumari village under Lama upazila of the district on Tuesday morning.
The injured were taken to a local hospital where four of them were given first aid.
The local administration apprehended more loss of lives due to the landslide triggered by the torrential rain for the last few days.
Besides, road communication of Bandarban district with other parts of the country remained suspended for the last couple of days as all the roads were submerged due to the intermittent rainfall.
At least 265 shelters have been opened as the two-third portion of the district town were inundated, rendering 300 people marooned, said Shah Mozahid Uddin.
Already 85 metric tonnes of food and Tk one lakh have been allocated while 43 medical teams are working in the flood-hit areas, he added.
Besides, the Storm Warning Center of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said that the axis of monsoon trough runs through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across Northern part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends upto North Bay. Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over North Bay.
It forecast that light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over the country with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places.
Except Madaripur district, rainfall was recorded at all places across the country on Tuesday. On the day, highest rainfall recorded in Bogura 203mm, Tarash in Sirajganj 167mm, Tangail 157mm, Bandarban 122mm, Tekanf 100mm, Badalgacchi 106mm, Khepupara 104mm and Rangamati 103mm.
Bangladesh Water Development Board’s (BWDB) Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said in its bulletin that water level of all the major rivers in the north and north-eastern region are in rising trend. The water level of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna Rivers are in rising trend which may continue in next 48 hours while the Ganges-Padma Rivers are in steady state, which may continue in next 24 hours.
Assistant Engineer of BWDB Mehadi Hasan, also duty officer, told this correspondent that there is a chance of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the north-eastern and adjacent upstream parts of Bangladesh in next 24-72 hours. For this reason, all the major rivers – the Surma, Kushiyara, Manu, Khowai, Sarigowain, Jhalukhali, Bhugai-Kangsha, Someswari, Jadukata in the North-eastern region of the country may rise rapidly at times during these periods.
According to meteorological agencies, there is a chance of medium to heavy rainfall in the South-eastern hill basin & adjacent upstream parts of Bangladesh in next 24 hours. As the tendency of very heavy rainfall has decreased, all the major rivers – Muhuri, Feni, Halda, Karnafuli, Sangu, Matamuhuri in the South-eastern region of the country may fall at a slow rate.