The Disaster Forum, a non-governmental organisation, in its latest report said the floods yesterday continued to worsen in 17 districts -- mostly central -- as rain-fed rivers raged in full spate.

About 40 percent of the capital went under water affecting 5 million people and wrecking water and sewerage systems, with the water level in the Buriganga river continuing to swell.

The collapse of the water and sewerage systems disrupted water supply to most families in the city of over 13 million and smelling floodwater leaked into water pipes.

Nayapaltan was the latest addition to the list of areas such as Motijheel, Fakirerpool and Gulshan that were reeling under water.

"The flood situation in Dhaka is likely to deteriorate," the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said in its bulletin yesterday.

Dhaka Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka called on people irrespective of political hues to help flood victims, an appeal that came from a meeting with ward commissioners at Nagar Bhaban.

Schools and colleges in the capital mostly turned into relief camps where thousands of displaced people from far and wide of the city took shelter.

The Buriganga recorded a further rise of 11 cm and was flowing 58 cm above the danger mark, while the Balu that saw a further rise of 8 cm was swelling 188 cm above the danger level.

Official news agency BSS reported 58 more people died in flooding, pushing the death toll to 285 since the deluge struck Bangladesh in the first week of July.

The flood situation in northern and northeastern districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Kurigram and Rangpur is likely to improve, according to a flood forecast.

BRAHMANBARIA DE-LINKED
Raging floods killed at least 24 people in Brahmanbaria and marooned another 20 lakh in the last seven days, as 98 unions and four municipalities went under water.

The rain-swollen Titas river, blamed for flooding of the central district, is flowing 173 cm above the danger mark overtaking the record of the 1988 devastating deluge that sent the river raging 169.53 cm above the danger level.

Floods washed away 146 cattle and damaged 96 kilometres of road, 50 educational institutions, 193 kilometres of a dam, 82 bridges, 13,990 houses and crops on 21,605 hectares in the district.

All road links including Brahmanbaria-Dhaka, Brahmanbaria-Chittagong and Brahmanbaria-Sylhet snapped and the railroads between Phaghachang and Bathshala railway stations went under water, forcing the trains to move at risk.

The District and Relief and Rehabilitation Office opened 492 shelters where 2.25 lakh people took refuge.

Reuters reports severe flooding across Bangladesh and parts of India and Nepal has killed almost 570 people in the past month, forced millions from their homes, and sparked an outbreak of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.

"Diarrhoea is spreading in most flooded areas and several hundred medical teams are fighting to prevent the spread of disease," a senior health official told Reuters. At least 100,000 Bangladeshis are suffering from diarrhoea.

Our correspondent from Gaibandha says: The floods displaced five lakh families in the northern district with all the rivers still overflowing the danger mark.

The people who took refuge on embankments are living on a little food and without safe drinking water, medicine and sanitation, although the government and non-governmental organisations geared up relief operations.

Our Barisal correspondent said four children died in flooding of the southern district in the last 24 hours, spiking the death toll to eight in seven days.

Rabeya Begum, 10, daughter of Oli Gazi and student of class III, drowned in floodwater on her way home from a neighbouring house in Gaguria village in Mehendiganj upazila on Saturday night.

Four-year-old Naim, son of Jahangir Sarder, died from snakebite on Saturday night as he was sleeping on a platform on stilts in Charkalekha village in Muladi upazila.

Dipak, 4, son of Digbijoy Bagchi of Bahadurpur and Babu, 2, son of Kamal Sikder of Bashail village in Agailjhara upazila, drowned in floodwater and their bodies were retrieved yesterday.

Our correspondent from Pabna reports: The rivers such as the Padma and Jamuna in Pabna have kept swelling over the last 24 hours, turning the flood situation worse.

The flood situation in Sylhet showed a little improvement as water continued to recede from different upazilas while the situation remained unchanged in some upazilas as the Kushiyara river was in spate.

Road links between the Sylhet district headquarters and upazila headquarters of Golapganj, Beanibazar, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, and Jakiganj are yet to be restored.

Finding no dry land, a family floated the body of a 13-year girl in the water in Jagannathpur upazila Saturday afternoon. Hafija Begum drowned in a boat capsize in front of her sister's house in Sherpur.

Most houses in Manikganj remained 3 to 4 feet under water and the road links between the district headquarters and five upazilas were cut off.