Flood situation worsens in Sylhet, Moulavibazar

The overall flood situation in Sylhet and Moulvibazar on deteriorated on Tuesday, inundating new areas, with water overflowing river banks in the two districts.
More than eight lakh people in the low-lying areas have been marooned in the districts and they are now facing shortage of drinking water, adequate meal and other necessaries, report New Age correspondents in Moulavibazar and Sylhet.
Disaster management and relief affairs minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and education minister Nurul Islam Nahid visited the flood affected areas in the districts on Tuesday.
‘How many more days have we to stay with flood? Truly, I have not got a handful of rice till date. Now flood water is damaging my house. I sent my wife and children to one of my relatives’ house several days ago. I am now guarding my house,’ said Jamal Miah, 70, of village Borodol of Bhukshimoil union of Kulaura upazila.
Joges Das, Tojomul Ali, Abdul Malik, Pronoti Das, among others, of village Korera of the same union, said they had no rice in their house, so no cooking. 
Their tube-wells have gone under water, causing crisis of drinking water.
Officials at Moulvibazar district administration said so far a total of 33 unions and a municipality of the district were hit by the flood, while some 51,020 families sustained losses and over 2.65 lakh people were affected. 
Stating that the water of the River Kushira was flowing above the danger level for a week, Bijoy Indro Kishore Chakroborty, executive engineer (technical) of Moulvibazar of Water Development Board, said that the Kushiara was flowing on Tuesday over 19 centimetres above the danger level at Sherpur point in the district. 
He further said it might take 7 to 10 more days for the water of haors to recede.
New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet reports that overall flood situation in Sylhet deteriorated further on Tuesday, with two major rivers — Surma and Kushiara — and their tributaries were flowing above the danger marks at almost of the points till afternoon.
According to Water Development Board, the Kushiara was flowing 72 centimetres above the danger mark at both of Amalshid and Shewla appoints at Bianibazar upazila while the Surma was flowing 45 cm and 14 cm above the danger mark at Kanaighat and Sunamganj respectively in the at 6:00pm.
Deputy director of the department of agricultural extension in Sylhet Md Abul Hashem told New Age in the afternoon that standing Aush paddy of around 3,000 hectare land and some 20 hectare seedbeds of Aman crop were inundated by the recent flood in the district so far according to their primary assessment. 
Sylhet additional deputy commissioner (general) Shahidul Islam Chowdhury told New Age that academic activities of 197 primary and secondary schools were suspended till Tuesday as the floodwater submerged the school premises.
Low-lying areas of seven upazilas — Bianibazar, Golapganj, Fenchuganj, Osmani Nagar, Kanaighat, Dakkhin Surma and Sadar — were inundated so far by the flood water, marooning more than 5,00,000 people, sources said.
According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre’s summery report on Tuesday, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Ganges-Padma and Surma rivers were in a rising trend.
The Brahmaputra-Jamuna rivers might continue rising in the next 72 hours while the Ganges-Padma rivers might continue rising in the next 24 hours from Tuesday morning.
The Surma si likely to rise while the Kushiyara may fall, the summery report says. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net