Photo: Collected
Heavy rainfall and hill runoff have inundated vast areas of Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj over the past week, leaving many homes and roads submerged. The flooding has caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure, creating severe hardships for the affected residents.
Numerous homes in low-lying areas remain underwater, with significant structural damage reported. The floodwaters have wreaked havoc on the region's infrastructure, damaging several roads, bridges, and culverts. The strong currents have washed away a section of the paved road in the Andharigao area on the Chhatak-Ambaribazar via Sunamganj route, effectively halting road communication.
In response to the disaster, the government has allocated 150 tons of rice for flood-affected families in Chhatak municipality and 13 unions. This relief effort aims to provide immediate support to those most impacted by the flooding.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has reported that soil erosion near the Surma Bridge toll plaza in Chhatak has rendered vehicular movement risky. To mitigate the danger, the RHD has marked hazardous spots with red flags and is conducting emergency repair work to maintain traffic flow.
According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Chhatak, several roads have been severely damaged by the floodwaters. These include the Kaitak-Sirajganj, Kalipur Satgaon, Dharan-Amertal Bazar, Nowarai-Narsinghpur Bazar, Jorapani-Choumahani Bazar, and Borokapan-Sriripur Bazar roads.
Chairmen of eight unions have reported significant damage to roads, houses, vegetable gardens, cultivated grass seedlings, livestock feed, and farms. This widespread destruction has further compounded the difficulties faced by the local population.
KM Mahbub Rahman, the Upazila Project Implementation Officer, has said that many rural dirt roads in the upazila have been destroyed, with estimated losses of approximately Tk 20 crore. Letters have been sent to all union chairmen to assess and report the extent of the damage.
Sabbir Ahmed, the Upazila Engineer of Chhatak, noted that paved roads in various areas have incurred damage worth nearly Tk 200 crore due to the flooding. This substantial economic impact underscores the need for comprehensive repair and rehabilitation efforts.
Rafiqul Islam Kiran, Chairman of the Chhatak Upazila Parishad, confirmed the extensive damage to roads and houses. He emphasized that further actions will be determined in discussions with union chairmen to address the ongoing crisis effectively.
Muhibur Rahman Manik, Member of Parliament for the Chhatak-Dowarabazar constituency, reassured the public that the government has allocated ample rice for the flood-affected population. He acknowledged the extensive road damage and affirmed that repairs would be undertaken gradually to restore normalcy.
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