Flash flood hits over 40 villages in Lalmonirhat

A man wades through flood water at Char Gobardhan village in Teesta River basin in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Several thousand people of 40 villages in five upazilas have been marooned as heavy rain in hills across the border in the last two days triggered flash flood.
The flood-hit people have taken shelter on government roads and WDB dam.
The worst affected villages are Kurul, Mogholhat, Kulaghat, Bowalmari, Rajpur, Kalmati, Khuniya Gachh, Gokunda, Milon Bazar, Teesta, Etapota in Sadar upazila,  Bongerbari, Sarkerbari, Dahagram, Sree Rampur, Bawra in Patgram upazila, Goddimari, Dowani, Sindurna, Dawabari, Paruliya, Patikapara under Hatibandha upazila, Bhotmari, Char Kakina, Rudreshewar, Jamirbari, Shoalmari villages in Kaliganj upazila and Kadomtola, Balapara, Char Gobordhan, Balurbandh villages of Aditmari upazila.
Low lying areas in Teesta and Dharla river basins were submerged during the period, said an official of Water Development Board (WDB) in the district.
Shamsul Alam, 58, of Paruliya village in Hatibandha upazila, said the flood was triggered by heavy rain in the last few days.
“Water from Teesta started to enter our home since Saturday evening”, he said.
Another victim Montaz Mia, 65, of Bongram village under Sadar upazila in Dharla River basin, said more than 120 houses in the area were flooded on Saturday night.  The hapless villagers took shelter on government road and the dam, he said.
Lalmoniraht WDB executive engineer Enayet Ullah said the Teesta and the Dharla were flowing below the danger level yesterday noon.
He, however, said that the water level of the rivers was increasing due to onrush of water from hills across the border.
If this rate of  increase continues, the rivers might cross the danger level anytime, said the engineer.