Sylhet Bureau :
Flood condition improved in Sylhet slightly as continuous rain and downstream flows ease, but many families are still stuck in shelters. On Saturday morning, the district administration said that the number of people affected by the floods had dropped from 643,470 on Friday to 609,033 on Saturday.
Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Sheikh Russel Hasan said, “The flood situation has improved somewhat due to the lack of heavy rain. The overall situation of the district is being closely monitored. Public and private institutions are continuing to distribute dry and cooked food and clean water.”
Sylhet district administration allocated a total Tk 33 lakh 50 thousands among the flood affected people in 13 upazilas of Sylhet district. The flooding has improved as the rain has eased, said Deepak Ranjan Das, executive engineer of the eastern Sylhet Water Development Board. Aside from three points on the Surma-Kushiyara rivers, the water levels in other water bodies are flowing below the danger level. Rainfall has also decreased in the upstream Indian state of Meghalaya.
He said that the Surma River is flowing 7.0 cm above the danger level at the Sylhet city point and 83 cm above the danger level at the Kanighat point. The Kushiyara River is flowing 192 cm above the danger line at Zakiganj point.
Shah Mohammad Sajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist of the Sylhet Meteorological Office, said that 7.3 mm of rain had fallen in Sylhet in 24 hours. However, Upazila executive officer (UNO) Afsana Taslim said that the flood situation in Zakiganj has not improved.
She said, “The flood situation in the Upazila has not improved, it is the same as before. There are 130 to 150 families in 55 shelters. People in shelters are being given cooked food. Apart from this, the flood victims are being given food assistance by the administration.”
According to the Sylhet district administration, nine wards of the Sylhet City Corporation, seven unions of Sylhet Sadar Upazila, six unions of Companiganj Upazila, six unions of Jaintapur Upazila, 13 unions of Gowainghat Upazila, nine unions of Kanaighat Upazila, 10 unions of Zakiganj Upazila, six unions of Beanibazar Upazila and two unions of Golapganj Upazila are flooded. In addition to the city wards, a total of 68 Wards in eight Upazilas and 781 villages in their unions have been flooded. The flood-affected population in these areas is 609,033.
A total of 3,342 people have taken shelter in 550 shelters for flood victims in the entire district. The process of shifting the stranded families to shelters is still going on. Apart from this, union-based medical teams have been formed to provide health care to the flood victims.
Meanwhile, the district administration said that the lower areas of the Sylhet metropolis, Sadar, Beanibazar and Golapganj Upazilas have flooded again as the water came downstream.