Flood engulfs fresh areas

Flood situation in the northern region continues to worsen as water of all the major rivers is flowing much above the danger mark.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre yesterday said the flood situation would continue to worsen in the next 24 hours.

Flood water entered and inundated new areas in many northern districts. Many flood protection embankments were damaged, reports our district correspondents.

According to the daily flood situation report of the disaster management and relief ministry yesterday, around 2,50,000 families have been affected by the flood in 14 districts in northern, central and northeastern parts of the country.

Our Jamalpur correspondent reports, flood situation in seven upazilas continues to deteriorate as the Jamuna river is flowing 121 centimetres above the danger level.

The rising water level of the Jamuna has broken the record of the 1988 flood as the highest flowing of water above the danger mark was then recorded at 112 cm, said Nabakumar Chowdhury, executive engineer of Water Development Board in Jamalpur.

On Thursday night, four people, including two kids, drowned in flood water in Islampur upazila.

A good number of people in Islampur and Madarganj upazilas, who are the worst hit by flood, were forced to leave their houses and took shelter on roads and higher grounds, said sources at local administrations.

They also added that the people were suffering for want of food.

Around 9,940 hectares of croplands in the flood-hit upazilas went under water, said sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension in Jamalpur.

Our Gaibandha correspondent adds, flood badly hit four upazilas of the district -- Sundarganj, Gaibandha Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata.

Road communications between Gaibandha town and Shaghata upazila headquarters remains snapped as Gaibandha-Shaghata road went under water at different points.

Locals were yesterday seen dumping sand bags at Ullabazar point on the road to save it from washing away by flood water.

Over 20,000 people of Shaghata upazila have been marooned in different char areas on the Jamuna basin. The upazila administration has opened 12 flood shelters for the affected people.

Many areas in Dhaka, Manikganj and Faridpur are being inundated by water coming from the northern region.