Death toll rises to 50 as flood affects over 2.3 million

At least 55 people died because of floodrelated causes since June 30 as huge onrush of water from the upstream continued for 21 days until Friday affecting more than 2.3 million people in 18 districts.

Eleven rivers overflowed their danger marks in 13 districts as they wash away dozens of houses, kilometres of embankment and overtook entire upazilas snapping their road communications.

The Padma River swelled the most in the 24 hours until 9:00am on Friday, flowing so strong that ferries could not navigate it after morning between the Shimulia and Kathalbari terminals.

‘The Padma is flowing beyond prediction and we cannot tell when the ferry service will resume,’ BIWTC manager at Shimulia Profulla Chouhan told the New Age correspondent in Munshiganj.

The ferry service remained suspended after two ferries anchored mid-river after trying in vain to cross it for four hours.

Over 1,200 vehicles were stuck in a long queue on Shimula end alone as those waited for the ferry service to resume and then those would travel to destinations spread across 23 southern districts.

Government employees in charge of keeping the river crossing operational said that operating ferry was particularly dangerous in the Padma as it wash down tree logs or debris that may clog fans.

Still, many people who became stranded midriver, were seen crossing the river in speedboats, often crammed with passengers.

The Jamuna also flowed steadily above the danger marks at eight points and washed away embankments at places between Thursday and Friday.

The New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that the entire Phulchhari upazila went under water in Gaibandha after the Jamuna washed away 25km embankment at a stretch Friday morning.

 

Water Development Board was quick to blame locals for weakening embankment by creating numerous holes to pass water onto their crop fields from the river.

Muslims offer jumma prayer on boats at Uttar Dighalkandi Mollapara in Saghata under Gaibandha district on Friday as flood inundates the area. — Focus Bangla photo

 

‘This is a disaster and the people brought it on themselves,’ said WDB northern region chief Jyoti Prashad Ghosh.

Two upazilas in Kurigram — Rajibpur and Roumari — also got out of reach by road after a breach in embankment let in huge water to overtake the two upazilas almost entirely.

Nearly 600 new families in Badarganj of Rangpur and Debiganj of Panchagarh were stranded after their villages got flooded after flood protection embankment collapsed.

WDB said that 313 houses were swept away in Rangpur division between Thursday and Friday.

The number of establishment devoured by rivers in the northern region included three schools in Lalmonirhat.

At least four people drowned in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Panchagarh on Friday but the deaths did not appear in government flood casualty report.

Health emergency control room said so far 55 people died of flood related causes, including 44 from drowning, three from snake bites, seven from lightning strike and one from diarrhoea.

Health emergency control room explained that they relate lightning to flood for it comes with flood triggering heavy rains.

The highest number of 14 people died in each of Kurigram and Jamalpur districts while nine died in Lalmonirhat.

The rest of the deceased are from Gaibandha, Rangpur, Sunamganj, Sirajganj, Tangail and Faridpur.

The disaster management and relief ministry, however, reported only eight deaths so far.

Over 5.48 lakh families were stranded in 523 unions, said the disaster management ministry.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said that flooding would turn even worse from Monday as heavy rains were predicted in the upstream.

The flood is already on course of becoming one of the worst floods in recent history in terms of its length.

Last year a flood wreaked havoc in Bangladesh for 17 days in June.

The FFWC said that fresh areas may get inundated in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Rajbari and Dhaka by Saturday.

The FFWC predicted the flood to stay through the month.

India Meteorological Department said that there would be extremely heavy rains in West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh from Sunday through Tuesday. In Assam flooding has affected more than 3.6 million people and killed more than 50.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net