Floodwater recedes but thousands still waterlogged
Although floodwater started receding from Saturday, low-lying areas along the Jamuna river basin are still waterlogged, causing immense sufferings to over 15,000 people in five upazilas of Sirajganj.
The flood-hit people who took shelter on highlands, roads or flood protection embankment are suffering a lot due to insufficient supply of relief materials, said villagers.
The Jamuna has swelled in early this month and flooded 39 unions in Sirajganj Sadar, Kazipur, Belkuchi, Shazadpur and Chouhali upazilas.
Over 3.28 lakh people in the upazilas have been affected by flood, said district administration sources.
Flood victim Alam Sheikh of Shontosha village in Shazadpur upazila who took shelter at the flood protection embankment of Water Development Board (WDB) said although floodwater started receding from the area, he cannot return his house along the river basin as it is still waterlogged.
Like Alam hundreds of flood-hit people at the embankment in the village cannot return their homesteads as those lie in the low-lying areas.
Although the water level in the Jamuna decreased, it will increase in next one or two weeks, flooding the area again, said another victim Julhas Mollah of the village, adding that “We are waterlogged for about a month and the waterlogging may continue next two or three months.”
Sirajganj WDB Sub-divisional Engineer AKM Rafikul Islam said as the river is now flowing below the danger level, floodwater receded.
The areas may be flooded again as the water level in the Jamuna may increase once or twice this year, he said.
Sabuz Mollah along with his four-member family and two goats has been staying in a makeshift tin-shed room at the embankment since his house went under floodwater.
“We often need to repair the room after gusty winds left it damaged,” said Sabuz.
Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Faruk Ahmed said they always stand by the flood affected people.
They had distributed 398.3 tonnes of rice, 3,250 packets of dry food and Tk 7 lakh in cash were distributed among the victims, he said.
Each flood-hit family got either rice, dry food or cash money, said the DC.
“We will continue providing the flood victims with relief as long as their houses are waterlogged,” he said.
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