Floodwater receding

An outbreak of diarrhoea is likely to affect the marooned people in the country's flood-affected north and north-eastern regions as flood water has started to recede in most of the areas that remained inundated during the last few days.
Meanwhile, a low has been formed in the north-western Bay and its adjacent areas that could cause ghastly wind along the coast, according to a statement of the Disaster Management and Relief Division.
Our correspondent in Sylhet reports that around 800 people in 12 upazilas of the district have been affected with diarrhoeal diseases in the last few days.
Dr Quamrul Islam, civil surgeon of Sylhet, however, told The Daily Star that diarrhoea is common among the marooned people in the aftermath of the flood, but the present situation would not turn into an epidemic.
He said there are adequate supplies of orsaline packets, water purifying tables and antibiotics, and those are being distributed among the affected people.
The authorities have formed 717 medical teams to serve the flood-affected people, Abdul Wazed, in-charge of the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre, said adding that many of the teams are now working at some flood-ravaged districts.
He said the Department of Public Health and Engineering is repairing tube-wells that were submerged by flood water.
Wazed said as floodwater has started to recede, erosion along the Padma, Brahmaputra and Jamuna basins took an alarming turn in the last few days.
“There are reports that houses are being eroded by the Padma near Dohar of Dhaka,” he said yesterday.
Our correspondent in Pabna reports that over 50 houses were destroyed while some five hundred acres of cropland washed away due to erosion in the Jamuna and Padma.
Rafiqul Islam, president of Nagarbari Port Traders' Association, said the Jamuna devoured at least 30 houses in the areas adjacent to Nagarbari Port yesterday.
Our Sherpur correspondent reports that around 50 houses in the Sadar upazila were destroyed while over 5,000 people were marooned due to water-level rise in the Brahmaputra yesterday.
Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre reports that the Ghaghat river in Gaibandha, the Jamuna in Bahadurabad and Sirajganj, the Surma in Kanaighat of Sylhet and the Kushiara in Sherpur of Moulavibazar were flowing above the danger level.
According to official statistics, over seven lakh people in north and north-eastern parts of the country were affected by the flooding.