Flood-hit people in dire need of immediate help
Many flood victims, who took shelter elsewhere, are returning home in several districts as floodwater has started receding from their houses.
But floodwater damaged their dwellings and farmland badly.
The victims said they do not have money to buy food, let alone repair their houses.
In Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, around 5 lakh people in the two districts were affected by flood. About 10 percent of them living in low-lying areas took shelter on dykes, roads, and at flood centres, said local offices of Water Development Board.
"The fences around my house have been washed away. My vegetable garden has also been damaged," said Abu Hossain of Mashalerchar in Kurigram Sadar upazila.
He along with his six-member family stayed on a WDB dyke at Jatrapur for several days and returned home yesterday morning.
Mobarak Hossain, a flood victim of Sindurna in Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha upazila, said, "We stayed at a temporary flood shelter for around 10 days. After coming back home, we found our vegetable garden, cowshed, and fences around our house have been damaged."
In Gaibandha, water of the Brahmaputra and Ghaghat rivers is now flowing below the danger level after 12 days, raising people's hope of improving the flood situation.
But the situation may worse again next week as there may be heavy rainfall in the upstream, said Mokhlesur Rahman, WDB executive engineer in Gaibandha.
Water of the Jamuna started flowing below the danger level after 10 days at Mathurapara point in Bogura's Sariakandi.
According to the flood forecast, there will be another flooding in the area within next 10 days, said Humayan Kabir, WDB assistant engineer in Bogura.
In Jamalpur, the flood situation in the district improved further as water is going down fast from the inundating areas.
The flood affected people, who took shelter at flood centres, relatives' houses, on roads and high grounds, are returning homes.
But many of them are facing crisis of drinking water and difficulties in maintaining hygiene as 355 tube wells and 381 latrines have been damaged, said sources at the local administration.
In Sirajganj, water has started receding from houses in Kazipur upazila.
"Although floodwater has gone down from my home, I have no scope to return home because flood may hit again. I will have to search for shelter again," said Jahanara Begum of Shuvogachha.
Contacted, KM Rafiqul Islam, WDB sub-divisional engineer in Sirajganj, said it would take time to get rid of waterlogging.
Many people are still waterlogged and passing hard days due to shortage of food and drinking water in Faridpur.
"I had to sell one of my cattle seven days ago. Now I am running my family with the money as I have no work for a month due to the flood," said Arman Sheikh of Char Gopalpur village in Charbhadrasan upazila.
Like him, at least 120 families of the village have been suffering for 15 days.
Moreover, poisonous snakes are being spotted in the areas, villagers said.
Salma Begum, 27, of Char Gopalpur village, said, "One of her relatives died from snakebite 14 days ago in Munshirchar village."
Abdus Sobhan, district relief and rehabilitation officer, said 53,200 people in the district had already been affected by flood. They got 200 tonnes of rice and Tk 3 lakh for the flood affected people. They would distribute those soon.
[Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat, Bogura, Pabna, Jamalpur, and Faridpur contributed to this report]
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