Fresh areas at 40 Lalmonirhat villages inundated

 

Villagers are seen standing in knee-deep water near their houses at Kuniagachh village of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. Fresh areas at 40 villages in the district are flooded on Thursday due to overflow of the Teesta water. Photo: STAR

The flood situation in Lalmonirhat worsened further today as fresh areas at 40 villages in five upazilas went under water, leaving 4,000 people marooned.

The Teesta water is flowing above 30 centimetres (cm) of its danger level, sources at Water Development Board (WDB), Dalia point told The Daily Star this morning.

The water level of Dharla River also increased but it is flowing only 1cm below of its danger level at Kulaghat point in Sadar upazila, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent quoting the sources.

Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of the WDB, said, “We have kept all the 52 gates of Teesta Barrage opened due to heavy current from upstream and alarming increasing of its water.”

Flood-hit people leave houses as their village goes under overflow water of the Teesta river Thursday morning. Photo: STAR

Around 90,000 people are marooned as 120 including the 40 villages have so far been flooded since August 15, according to the WDB office.

The badly affected villages are : Kalmati, Milon Bazar, Gokunda, Rajpur, Tajpur, Khuniagachh and Bagdora in Sadar upazila, Gobordhan, Narsingh, Nayarhat, Kutirpar, Balapara of Aditmari upazila, Sholmari, Votmari, Jamirbari, Kalikapur of Kaliganj upazila, Goddimari, Dowani, Sindurna, Dawabari, Paruliya, Saniyazan of Hatibandha upazila, Kuchlibari, Dahagram, Mahimpara of Patgram upazila, the WDB sources said.

The residents of the flood-hit people have taken shelter to the WDB’s dam and roads. They have been facing acute crisis of food and pure drinking water.

They are living on only dry food as they cannot cook due to stagnant water.

The river-water flows 30 centimetres above of danger mark at the Teesta Barrage point in Dowani village of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat Thursday morning. Photo: STAR

Idris Ali, 62, a resident of Kutirpar village in Aditmari upazila, said at least 300 families of the village were marooned and they are facing acute food crisis.

“We have no scope to cook as we are surrounded by water. We need dry food immediately,” he said.

People of flood hit areas are yet to get adequate relief from the government or from any non- government organisation, said Khatib Uddin, chairman of Sindurna union parishad of Hatibandha upazila.