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Seventeen embankments along the Muhuri, Kahua, and Silonia rivers in Feni have collapsed following three days of heavy rainfall and upstream flow, inundating at least 30 villages in Fulgazi and Parshuram Upazilas.
The flooding has disrupted power supply across the two upazilas, leading to a breakdown in internet and mobile network services, reports bdnews24.com.
Road communication with Parshuram has also been severed since Tuesday night, after floodwaters submerged the Feni-Parshuram regional road, halting vehicular traffic.
Md Mojibur Rahman, officer-in-charge at the Feni Meteorological Office, said the district recorded 198mm of rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 12pm on Wednesday.
Earlier, rainfall reached 441mm, marking the highest recorded in the district’s history.
Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to continue in Feni and surrounding areas through Thursday and Friday, according to officials.
Md Abul Kashem, sub-divisional engineer of the Feni Water Development Board, reported that water levels in the Muhuri River reached 13.15cm above the safety limit around 12pm on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night at 9pm, the level had risen to 137cm above the danger point.
At least 17 sections of the embankments along the three rivers have broken in the past two days, flooding the surrounding low-lying areas, officials said.
NO POWER IN PARSHURAM, FULGAZI
Power supply to Parshuram and Fulgazi was cut to prevent accidents amid the widespread waterlogging, according to authorities.
The resulting loss of internet and mobile connectivity has left residents unable to contact family members in the affected zones.
Jahanara Ferdous, who travelled from Dhaka to Feni on Wednesday morning, said she had been unable to reach her mother in Parshuram.
“The road connection is closed, and there is no mobile network,” she said.
“My mother is alone at home, and I can’t get through to her.”
Masum Chowdhury, a resident of Paschim Alka village, said water began flowing into homes around 7pm on Tuesday after the embankment on the Silonia River broke behind the house of Altaf Ali Chowdhury in Ward No 8.
“Families spent the night in fear,” he said.
Abu Bakkar Siddique Rubel of Uttar Manipur village said that nearly 60 families in his area had been affected by the flood.
“Some of those who have two-storey houses have taken shelter on the upper floors,” he said.
Similar scenes of devastation unfolded in Fulgazi Upazila of Feni, where residents continue to grapple with rising waters and widespread damage.
Nurul Islam, 60, of Uttar Sreepur Purbapara village in Sadar Union, said floodwaters reached up to his neck, forcing him and his wife to seek refuge in a neighbour’s home.
The couple, who have no children, managed to save two cows as the water surged but lost their ducks and chickens. All of their household belongings have been destroyed.
Ali Raj, a resident of the same area, said about 30m of the embankment of the Muhuri River near his home collapsed, submerging both his house and his brother’s.
“We couldn’t save a single piece of furniture,” he said.
In Fulgazi Bazar, trader Saiful Islam said over a hundred shops have been flooded following a dam breach.
The entry of river water has destroyed all goods stored in the shops, he said.
SHELTER, CONTROL ROOMS
Faria Islam, Fulgazi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), or Upazila executive officer, said that as of 12pm on Wednesday, embankments along the Muhuri, Kahua, and Silonia rivers had broken in seven locations within the Upazila.
At least 12 villages have been flooded due to breaches in these embankments, she said.
The Upazila administration is arranging transportation to move stranded residents to shelters, and many people have already taken refuge there, she added.
In Parshuram Upazila, UNO Arifur Rahman said 10 breaches have been reported in embankments along the same three rivers.
The Muhuri River was breached in six places, the Kahua in three, and the Silonia in one.
Fifteen villages in Parshuram have been waterlogged, according to Arifur.
Many affected residents have taken shelter in designated centres, where the government is providing food assistance.
Ismail Hossain, Feni’s additional deputy commissioner (General), said parts of Fulgazi, Parshuram, and Feni Sadar Upazilas are underwater.
The district administration has been placed on high alert, with multiple teams coordinating relief efforts alongside the disaster management department.
A control room has been set up to ensure 24-hour communication.
As of Wednesday afternoon, around 11,500 people across the three Upazilas have been affected, he said.
Among them, 347 individuals from 115 families are currently staying in shelters.
Feni Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam said the administration is monitoring the situation closely.
Four hundred packets of dry food have already been distributed in flood-affected areas of Parashuram and Fulgazi.
Additionally, 120 tonnes of rice have been allocated for relief operations in Fulgazi, Chhagalnaiya, Sonagazi, Daganbhuiyan, and Feni Sadar Upazilas, he said.
The deputy commissioner added that Tk 1.75 million in cash has also been distributed for relief activities across six Upazilas in the district.
Akhter Hossain Majumder, executive engineer of the Feni Water Development Board, said river water levels have begun to recede with the easing of rainfall.
“Once conditions improve, repair work on the erosion-damaged embankments will commence,” he said.
He added that Water Development Board officials are actively working to prevent further breaches.