Flood strikes Sirajganj again

When people started to return to their homes after floodwaters from the Jamuna river started to recede for the first time in the last three months in Sirajganj, they were hit by another wave of floods in the past few days.

People who started to rebuild their damaged houses while cultivating their land to recuperate losses caused by the flood are now baffled by the second wave of the flood.

Rafiqul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Water Development Board in Sirajganj, said water level in the Jamuna has increased significantly over the past few days.

On Saturday morning at Kazipur point, the water in the river was flowing at 15.31 metre mark -- six centimetres above the danger level, and at Hard Point, it was flowing at 13.30 metre mark, which is five centimetres below the danger level.

An increase in rainfall in the upstream of the Jamuna has caused the water level in the river to rise for the moment, he also said.   

Flood is nothing new to the people of Sirajganj district. But back-to-back flooding of the area in such a short period of time in the same year is causing hindrances to relief and rehabilitation work, said affected people in Sirajganj.  

Kohinoor Begum, from Betilchar village in Chouhali upazila, said she and her family took shelter on a nearby flood protection embankment after their house was flooded in early June.

After the water receded, they came back home only two weeks ago and started repairing their damaged house. But after finishing reconstructing the earthen floor, it got washed away again by the second flood wave.

"I'm totally flabbergasted at the situation. I took a loan with high interest and spent it all on the repair work of the house. Now I'm trying to figure out how I would repay the loan and find money again to repair the house," said the frustrated woman.

Anticipating a second flood, inhabitants of Shubhogachha union in Kazipur upazila did not return home from their flood shelters yet. But the new Aman rice seedbeds, which they made in their villages to recover their losses, are now flooded. 

Nayan Sardar, a member of Shubhogachha Union Parishad, said with the seedbeds damaged by the flood, rice cultivation in the area, dependent on agricultural, will be affected severely. "People never witnessed devastation by flood to this extent before."

Contacted, Rezaul Karim, agriculture officer in Kazipur upazila, said as part of their rehabilitation effort, they had distributed Aman seeds to 900 farmers affected by the flood.

But as their seedbeds for Aman rice sustained damage in the new wave of the flood, renewed efforts will be made to help the affected people get back on their feet, he assured.