Flashflood grips low-lying areas
Heavy rain and rise of water level in the Padma submerged several approach roads to ferry pontoons of Mawa Ferry Ghat, creating a long line of over 300 vehicles on Dhaka-Mawa Highway waiting to cross the river. Photo: Focus Bangla
Heavy downpour triggered flash flood in low-lying areas of several districts including Netrakona, Sunamganj, Sylhet and Feni yesterday leaving thousands of people marooned.
Two rivers -- Surma in Sunamganj and Muhuri in Parshuram are flowing 36 cm and 45 cm above the danger mark respectively.
Road communications between Dhaka and other districts are now under threat as roads leading to main ferry ghats have already been inundated due to heavy rain mounting sufferings of passengers.
Road communications between Netrakona and Durgapur, Kalmakanda and Khaliajuri upazila were cut off.
The connecting road to Mawa ferry ghat has already gone under water while two pontoons out of four remains inoperative as the wires that hold the pontoons got snapped.
River erosions in Noakhali, Netrokona and Barisal have taken a serious turn due to the heavy downpour.
According to the flood forecasting and warning centre heavy rainfall would continue over the northeast and south-eastern part of the country and adjoining Indian state Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.
The situation is likely to deteriorate slightly as the meteorology departments of both Bangladesh and India forecast further heavy rainfall over the region for the next 24 hours.
Our Netrakona correspondent reports: Flood situation in Netrakona worsened as more areas have gone under water leaving at least 50 thousand people marooned in six upazilas, Netrakona Water Development Board (WDB) sources said.
The affected upazilas are Kalmakanda, Durgapur, Madan, Mohonganj, Khaliajuri and Netrakona sadar upazila.
Erosion has taken serious turn in the rivers Sumeshowary and Dhanu. Over 50 dwelling houses of Shibganj and 10 business establishments of Kamarkhali Bazar under Durgapur upazila went into the gorge of the Sumeshowary.
The river Dhanu engulfed about 25 dwelling houses of Barantar under Khaliajuri upazila.
Sources said floodwater submerged Kalmakanda upazila. Most of the houses of the Kalmakanda upazila went under two to three feet water.
Mohonganj and Khaliajuri upazila were also inundated by floodwater.
The news agency UNB adds: In Sylhet some 50,000 people in 60 villages of Goainghat, Jointapur and Companiganj upazilas were marooned due to sudden flooding amid rain and onrush of water from the hills across the border.
In Barisal sudden onrush of upstream waters into the downstream triggered flash flood and erosion in southern districts.
Erosion by Kirtankhola River on its bank took a serious turn because of the strong current.
A correspondent from Feni said five villages of Fulgaji upazila were submerged due to flash flood.
Water Development Board sources said the flash flood entered into the villages of Sahapara, Doulatpur, Baraiya, Purba Ghaniyamora and Tetesshar from the breach of flood protection embankment of Muhuri River.
An official of local WDB said that Muhuri River has been flowing over 80 cm of danger level.
The low-lying areas of Feni were waterlogged due to continuous heavy downpour.
The river erosion at Companiganj of Noakhali has also taken serious turn due to continuous downpour for the last three days.
Around 10 shops, 12 houses, eight fish farms and 50 acres cropland have already fallen victim to erosion in those areas.
Our correspondent from Nilphamari reports: At least 20,000 people got marooned in Teesta shoals and low-lying areas in Jaldhaka and Dimla upazilas of the district as the river started swelling on yesterday.
A cross dam at Jharsingerswar village of Dimla upazila might be washed away at any time by the mighty current of Teesta.
Chairman of Purbo Chhatnai union Abdul Latif informed that Teesta is on the rise so fast at noon yesterday that people got barely any time to remove their belongings.
Finding no way the affected people took shelter on the embankment of Teesta, he added.
BWDB officials imposed red alert on the villages on either side of Teesta. They asked people, living nearby the river, to move to safer places.
Our correspondent from Kurigram adds: With the rise of water level in the river Dharla at Sadar upazila the flood situation has worsened and erosion has taken a serious turn.
Dwelling houses of 27 families at Bhurungamari upazila were destroyed due to erosion by the river Dudhkumar in the last 24 hours, UP Chairman Fazlul Haque said.
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