The bed has been hoisted above the water level with the help of bamboo poles and ropes. Forquan's father, ailing with jaundice, lies there waiting to be shifted.

His eight-months pregnant wife Josna has moved to her father's place at nearby Fashertek, knowing that the water may force her to move again.

"Today I went to three places looking for a room. Everywhere I went the landlord asked for two months advance. They raised the rental fee too. A room that used to cost Tk2000 is now being rented at Tk3000," said Forquan.

"I really need to move my father to a safe place where I can obtain medical assistance for him, but I am helpless," he added.

Drinking water is an added concern. Since their tube well is under water, potable water has to be fetched from a dry place daily. The family has to cook while standing in the water, while their stove slowly sinks deeper as water continues to rise every night. Nighttime no longer brings peace and rest: they sleep with one eye open out of fear that venomous snakes might crawl up the bed.

"If we cannot find a safe place to move then the only option would be to live on my landlady's roof," Forquan said.

In the last few days, floodwater has started to move towards Dhaka city. The eastern part of the city was the first victim of the swelling water due to the absence of a flood control embankment in the area.

Areas like Badda, Basabo, Bonosri, Bashundhara, Shatarkul, Mugda, Nandipara, Trimohoni, Rayerbagh, Manda, Maniknagar, Kusumbagh, Debpara and Gulpara in Dhaka have been inundated.

Immense suffering has gushed in along with the raging floodwater. At Shatarkul, Mohammad Faisal has purchased a small boat for his family. Without it, they cannot move even a foot out of their house. His 9-year-old sister goes to school by boat, as the school is still dry and open.

The youngest one of the family, his 3-year-old niece, worries him the most. "There is water everywhere. We are always keeping an eye on her, because we are afraid she may drown," he said.

Laily Begum, marooned at Shatarkul, sent her two sons to stay at their uncle's house in Malibag because it is really hard for them to go to office from the flooded Shatarkul area. "Moving out of the house for daily business has become impossible," she said.

"Earlier, we built a makeshift bamboo bridge to go to the streets. Now it is almost under water and very risky to use," she added.

Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) predicts that all the rivers around the eastern part, including the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakhya will continue to flow above danger levels for the next few days. Hence, there is not likely to be any let-up in the flood situation, or in people's suffering, anytime soon.

Elsewhere, in Commisioner galli at East Bashabo, Lutfur Rahman Majumder dreads a recurrence of the floods of 1988 and 1998. "Last time the sewer water overflowed my house. All the furniture was ruined. It took months to get the house back in shape again," he said.

Majumder is preparing for the flood, which is slowly approaching his neighbourhood. "The water is just around the corner of my street. I went to look into boats because if the water rises, it will be the only option to move about," he said.

Meanwhile, severe crisis of safe drinking water is creating more misery for the marooned people. Diarrhoea patients are swarming the ICDDR,B hospital. Everyday around 500 new patients are coming in. To cope with the extra pressure the hospital authority has set up tents outside the building.

Majority of the patients are coming in from the DND embankment area, as the stagnant water there has become severely contaminated. A mixture of human waste and toxic liquid waste from dyeing factories has made the water extremely poisonous.

The only segment feeling blissful because of the flood is the boat makers. The boat business is thriving as more areas become submerged everyday, leaving more and more people with no option but to resort to boats for travelling.

Boat makers at Aminbazar, Ashuliya embankment, Demra and Kayetpara boat markets are charging around Tk2500 each for boats that usually cost around Tk1500 during the dry season. Boat makers from outside the city are coming in with newly built boats. Kayetpara, the largest boat market of the city, is making a sell of around 100 boats daily.

The boat makers are hoping for further acceleration of the price with rising waters. Meanwhile, all other affected persons are praying that water levels will recede and give them some much-needed respite.