Low-lying areas in Sylhet inundated, thousands marooned

Monsoon rains and the onrush of mountain runoff have worsened flooding in parts of Sylhet, forcing the authorities to open 200 shelters across the northeastern district for the thousands of people marooned by the floods.

Tens of thousands of people have been affected by the floods and are reeling from a food and drinking water crisis in the district’s Kanaighat, Gowainghat, Companiganj, Zakiganj, Sadar and Jointiapur upazilas, the local administration and government representatives said.

Some new areas in the district were inundated on Wednesday morning. The roads were waterlogged, with government and private organisations, including educational institutions, flooded, reports bdnews24.com.

“Several government offices have also been affected, but services are available. The officials are doing their jobs,” the district’s local government official Md Mozibor Rahman said.

"The district administration has opened up shelters and distributed food among the affected people. The upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) have been asked to closely monitor the flood situation,” Rahman added.

The district administration says it has allotted 100 tonnes of rice and 3,000 packets of dry food to flood-affected people. Around 129 tonnes of rice and 1,000 packets of dry food were distributed to them previously, it added.

According to the report released by the Bangladesh Water Development Board in the afternoon, the water level at the Kanaighat point of the Surma River decreased by 16 cm, but is still 127 cm above the danger level.

The water level rose by 13 cm at Surma's Sylhet point and the river is flowing 42 cm above the danger level. The level decreased by 17 cm at the Sunamganj point but the river is flowing 18 cm above the danger level.

The Kushiyara River's water level has risen by 20 cm at the Amalsid (Sylhet) point and is flowing 158 cm above the danger level. The river is flowing 53 cm above the danger level at Sheola point.

The flood situation in Sylhet and Sunamganj could worsen further in the next 24 hours, the BWDB's Flood Forecast and Warning Centre said.