Floods swamp six districts, more rain looms

Flood situation deteriorated further in parts of the country on Saturday as six districts remained inundated with several major rivers flowing above their danger levels.

The government warned that more heavy rainfall over the next two days could trigger fresh flooding in the north, north east and south east of the country.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), six monitoring stations on four major rivers were above their respective danger levels on Saturday, increasing the risk for low lying communities.

The worst affected districts are Bandarban, Chattogram, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj. Meanwhile, HSC and equivalent examinations under the Chattogram Board have been postponed until July 16 due to worsening flood situation.

“Prime Minister is constantly monitoring the government activities to deal with the flood situation. The government has taken various steps with utmost preparation to deal with natural disasters, Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin said on Saturday.

He also said that prime minister has instructed to stand by the people after meeting with the field administration in the affected areas. He called party leaders and activists to participate in relief activities.

Meanwhile, Heavy monsoon rainfall over the previous 24 hours aggravated the flood situation.

Among the rivers, the Sangu at Bandarban was flowing 107 centimetres above its danger level, the highest recorded across the country. The Manu River at Moulvibazar was 38 centimetres above danger level, while the Kushiyara at Fenchuganj in Sylhet stood 21 centimetres above the mark.

The Surma at Markuli in Sunamganj was 17 centimetres above danger level, the Sangu at Dohazari in Chattogram 19 centimetres above, and the Khowai at Ballah in Habiganj one centimetre above its danger level.

Jafflong in Sylhet received 156 millimetres of rainfall, while Lama in Bandarban recorded 155 millimetres. Across the border, Meghalaya’s RKM Sohra received 194 millimetres of rain, raising concerns that upstream runoff would further swell rivers entering Bangladesh.

The FFWC said heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected across Chattogram Division and the adjoining Indian state of Tripura during the next 24 hours before the rain belt shifts towards Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions over the following 48 hours.

The FFWC warned that the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers could cross their danger levels within 48 hours, causing short duration flooding in Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha.

In the south east, water levels in parts of Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar may recede temporarily, but the Muhuri, Feni and Halda rivers are expected to rise rapidly over the next two days, increasing the risk of flash floods in parts of Feni, Chattogram and Khagrachhari.

Meanwhile, Bandarban became isolated from the rest of the country after landslides and floodwater disrupted road communication at several locations following days of heavy rainfall.

The Roads and Highways Department said road links between Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram and Dhaka have remained suspended since Saturday morning after roads were submerged and trees fell in the Bajalia area of Satkania.

Traffic from Bandarban town to Rangamati, the Bangal Halia Chandraghona route, and the upazilas of Rowangchhari, Ruma and Thanchi has also been suspended.

The situation worsened after the Bridgeghat Bridge collapsed under the force of floodwater following damage to part of a rubber dam on the Bandarban Rangamati road on Friday night.

Apart from it, the flood has inundated large parts of Chandanaish, Lohagara, Boalkhali, Patiya and Anwara with Satkania and Banshkhali experiencing the worst conditions.

Many marooned families reportedly spent three days without receiving government or private relief, while prolonged power outages, shortages of food and safe drinking water and damaged transport links have left hundreds of thousands living in severe hardship.

Following widespread media coverage and criticism on social media over the shortage of relief, the government, political parties and voluntary organisations intensified relief operations from Saturday.

Despite the increased assistance, many residents expressed frustration, saying government relief remained insufficient compared with the scale of the disaster.

In Rangamati, flood situation have become critical in the remote Farua Union of Bilaichhari Upazila, where thousands remain stranded without government relief.

Fresh flooding on Saturday submerged Uluchhari village market and numerous homes after overnight rain caused rivers swollen by upstream flows to rise again.

Residents said many families had taken shelter in nearby schools, but relief had yet to reach the area because of its remoteness and the lack of mobile network coverage.

Local resident Milon Tanchangya said villagers had been forced to stay in schools while waiting for assistance.

Another resident, Abdul Haque, said strong currents had made boat travel impossible, while damage to the border road had halted vehicle movement. Several submerged markets had also created an acute shortage of food.

Bilaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Zakir Hossain said around 25,000 people had been marooned across the upazila, including nearly 12,000 in Farua Union.
He said relief could not yet be delivered because of the strong current and disrupted communications with local representatives.

Shelter centres had been opened and local authorities had been instructed to procure food from nearby markets wherever possible.

Meanwhile, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said the government was preparing lists of farmers affected by the recent floods at union and ward levels.

Speaking at the inauguration of a tree fair at Cumilla Town Hall Ground on Saturday, the minister said the government would provide necessary assistance to affected farmers once the assessment process was completed.

According to Disaster Ministry, the death toll from floods and landslides reached to 39, with more 9.28 lakh people affected till Friday. Of them, 23 in Cox’s Bazar, eight in Chattogram, six in Bandarban and two in Rangamati.