Meanwhile, various intestinal diseases including diarrhoea, cholera and skin diseases are spreading fast among the food-affected people.

Floodwater started receding from the north and northeastern regions of the country while swelling in the central part including the capital.

The control room reported that over 80 lakh people were affected, and crops on more than 12 lakh acres of land have been damaged due to flood so far.

Until yesterday, the government opened 1,175 shelter centres that housed 2.82 lakh people and allocated 14,200 metric tonnes of GR (gracious relief) rice, Tk 2.80 crore GR cash, Tk 2.25 crore as housing grants, Tk 1 crore for dry food and Tk 70 lakh for rescue and relief operations.

Reports from different districts however show that thousands of flood-affected victims are yet to get any relief due to inadequate quantity of relief materials. They are also facing severe crises of drinking water and drugs.

Our staff correspondent from Bogra reported that miscreants looted 650 packets of relief when officials of Sariakandi upazila complex were preparing to distribute relief among the char people at Pakuria in the Jamuna basin by a boat.

Police arrested Abdul Mannan and a case was filed with Sariakandi Police Station in this connection.

Meghna at Bhairab Bazar continued to rise yesterday and is likely to rise slightly further and inundate more low-lying areas in Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

Padma continued rising at all points and was flowing 145cm and 110cm above danger levels at Goalundo and Bhagyakul.

Flood situation in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Dhaka's Dohar and Nawabganj upazilas is likely to remain unchanged.

Meanwhile, India's Met department reported that a low has developed over the North Bay and its adjoining areas, which will pass through Orissa and West Bengal coasts. However, this will have no effect on Bangladesh's flood situation, FFWC noted.

Our Sirajganj correspondent reported that sufferings of the flood-affected people took a serious turn with manifold problems including shortage of food and drinking water despite relief activities by the government and different NGOs.

Sources in the district administration said they received reports of 120 diarrhoea and skin disease cases so far while at least 417 educational institutions in nine upazilas of the district were damaged either fully or partly forcing their closure.

Intestinal diseases broke out at Udakhali under Fulchari upazila of Gaibandha mainly due to low quality food and contaminated water, according to our district correspondent.

"We gave instant treatment to about 70 patients with intestinal complaints at Udakhali health complex in last three days," said Nazrul Islam, health officer of Fulchari Upazila Health Complex.

Meanwhile, a number of NGOs including Red Crescent Society, Brac, Gano Unnayan Kendra, Samaj Kalyan Sangstha, Heed (Bangladesh), Practical Action (Bangladesh), TMSS and Islami Bank Foundation distributed relief materials and drugs among the flood victims.

In Pabna, Chumki, 8, a girl of Kalibari under Bhangura municipality, drowned in floodwater, reported our district correspondent.

Our Brahmanbaria correspondent reported that Chadni, 2, daughter of Hashem Mia of Shahbajpur village under Sarail upazila, and Mumraj Nesa, 75, of Haripur village under Nabinagar upazila, drowned yesterday raising the death toll to seven in the district.

About 10 educational institutions remained closed while about a half kilometre of Dhaka-Agartala road went under knee-deep water, which is approaching new areas.

According to our Magura correspondent, floodwaters rolling from the upstream swamped 15 more villages of Shalikha upazila yesterday causing breakout of waterborne diseases.

Seven medical teams however are working at seven union parishad offices of the district.

Most of the educational institutions in the 55 flood-affected villages still remain closed.

A correspondent from Faridpur reported that the entire Charvadrashan upazila went under water as the town protection embankment eroded yesterday.

Road communication between Nagarkanda, Charvadrashan and Sadarpur remain closed for the fifth day due to high water level and damage to a few bridges.

Two children including a newborn baby died of diarrhoea while many were admitted to the district sadar hospital and other clinics during the 24 hours ended 6:00pm yesterday.

People sheltered in various educational institutions of Faridpur town alleged that they have not received any relief though relief materials were allocated. They are also in need of drinking water and drugs.

According to our Manikganj correspondent, around 3,000 people of Kanaidia and Char Shibalaya areas of Shibalaya upazila are passing days unfed or half-fed, as they received no relief materials.

Our Chandpur correspondent reported that rise of water in Meghna inundated almost all the roads of Chandpur town while Masum, a two-year boy, of Sadar upazila, drowned in floodwater.