Photo: Messenger
Incessant rains and water from upstream India have worsened the flood situation in Noakhali. Despite the relief aid provided around the main roads, it has not reached the marginal areas. There is a shortage of food and fresh water. In addition to health risks, most children are hungry. As a result, there has been a widespread cry for relief in many places.
According to district administration sources, about 20 lakh people from 87 unions in 8 upazilas of Noakhali are trapped in flood water. 2 lakh 16 thousand people have taken shelter in 1,169 shelters. Tk 45 lakh in cash, 882 tons of rice, 1,000 packets of dry food, baby food worth Tk 5 lakh, and cow food worth Tk 5 lakh have been distributed among them.
Floodwaters have risen in eight out of the nine upazilas of the district. The most affected upazilas include Senbag, Begumganj, Sadar, Sonaimuri, and Chatkhil. No public or private relief has reached the remote areas of these upazilas so far. As a result, flood-affected people are living in endless suffering.
Arifur Rahman, Executive Officer (UNO) of Begumganj Upazila, said, “In each of our unions, a committee has been formed in coordination with the secretaries and students. They are delivering aid to the affected areas. Also, many are personally coming and providing relief. We are distributing aid according to each union’s needs.”
Deputy Commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rahman said, “At first, we had a small problem with food supplies. Now we are receiving enough dry food. Besides, various organisations are coming forward, and many individuals are personally coming from Dhaka University. Additionally, the government has distributed cash, rice, dry food, baby food, and cow food. Our support programme continues.”
Meanwhile, 27 people have died in the ongoing floods across the country so far, and around 56 lakh 19 thousand 375 people have been affected in 11 districts. Adviser to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Farooq E Azam, provided this information during a press conference on Tuesday at the secretariat regarding the ongoing flood situation.
The relief adviser said that there are currently 11 flood-affected districts. There are 12 lakh 7 thousand 429 waterlogged families, 74 flooded upazilas, and 541 affected unions/municipalities.
A total of 27 people have died in the floods so far, the disaster adviser reported. Among the victims, 10 were from Cumilla, one from Feni, five from Chattogram, one from Khagrachari, five from Noakhali, one from Brahmanbaria, one from Lakshmipur, and three from Cox's Bazar.
On the other hand, there is no risk of flooding in the Padma basin of Bangladesh in the next five days. Even after opening the 109 gates of the Farakka Dam, not much water is expected to flow through it. The Ganges basin upstream of Farakka has seen increased rainfall but remains within normal levels. This was stated in the forecast for the next five days from the Government's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.
Sardar Uday Raihan, Executive Engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, said that although the rainfall in India's Ganga basin upstream of the Padma in Bangladesh is normal, there is still some rain. Even if the water level rises, it will not cross the flood limit in the next five days. As a result, there is no danger of flooding in the areas along the Padma at this time. Additionally, there is no immediate risk of a deteriorating flood situation in Tripura, India, and in the Comilla-Feni region of Bangladesh.
According to the forecast from the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, the water level of the Padma in the Bangladesh section near the Farakka Dam in India was one and a half meters below the danger level at 11 am on Tuesday. The water is rising by several centimeters every day, but there is no danger of it exceeding the flood limit within the next five days.
Observations show that water levels are rising at 24 out of 116 points across different rivers in the country, while decreasing at 88 points. The Kushiara, Gomti, and Matamuhuri rivers are currently flowing above the danger level, but their water levels are also decreasing.
Flood experts have noted that dams are breaking in various places along the rivers in the Comilla and Feni-Noakhali regions of Bangladesh. In many areas, water has overflowed the dams and entered residential areas for several hours, which has led to the development of a flood situation in Chattogram, Noakhali, and Lakshmipur.
Messenger/Disha
