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5 years ago

Floods devastate over 900 villages in Sirajganj

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More than 900 villages in the low-lying areas of Sirajganj have been devastated by floods as the Jamuna River continues to swell due to torrential rains and the onrush of water from the upstream.

Flooding has already affected thousands of people from 21,552 families in those villages, the district’s relief and rehabilitation official said.

The waters have inundated and damaged homes, roads, educational institutions, and crop fields in these villages, reports bdnews24.com.

Within last 24 hours, the Jamuna River has risen by 23cm at the Sirajganj point and it has been flowing over 91cm above the danger level, said Shafiqul Islam, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board.  

Flash floods have affected the low-lying villages of Sirajganj due to the rise of the water level, said district relief and rehabilitation officer Abdul Rahim.

"At least 936 villages, including Kazipur, Sadar, Belkuchi, Enayetpur and Shahjadpur, have already been inundated, leaving thousands of residents from 21,552 families stranded."

The district administration has granted 494 tonnes of rice and Tk 800,000 to distribute among the stricken families, he said.

Many people along with their livestock and furniture took shelter in make-shift houses constructed on the dam. They were displaced when the Kazipur-Dhunat road in Sirajganj was submerged.

'The Jamuna River with its strong currents has breached about 60 metres of the ring dam as a result of which, many new parts in Kazipur Upazila are experiencing floods," said Shafiqul Islam.

'The ring dam is not the Water Development Board's project. It was built by Kazipur Upazila Parishad. It is not possible right to repair the dam now." he added.

“The repair works will start after the water recedes,” Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Jahid Hasan Siddique said.

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