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Flood turns for the worst in North

Three lakh marooned, red alert from Teesta Barrage point withdrawn

Published : Tuesday, 14 July, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 968

The Dharala River was flowing above 63cm of the danger level on Monday. The photo was taken from Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Phulbari in Kurigram.  	 photo: Observer

The Dharala River was flowing above 63cm of the danger level on Monday. The photo was taken from Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Phulbari in Kurigram. photo: Observer

The country's overall flood situation worsened on Monday, according to officials of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the authority that monitors flood situation.
The BWDB, however, withdrew its 'red alert' from the Teesta Barrage point at Nilphamari's Dalia and nearby areas as the river was flowing 20cm above the danger mark on Monday evening.
The Teesta River was flowing 55cm above the danger level the day before.
As many as three lakh people in the eight northern districts of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur,     Bogura and Sirajganj were marooned after continuous onrush of water from the upstream inundating fresh areas.
BWDB Officials said major rivers were flowing above danger marks (DM) at 11 points of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra and Sirajganj districts at 9:00am on Monday.
Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) of Rangpur Zakir Hossain said rescue operation and evacuation of the marooned people to safer places and distribution of relief had already begun.
According to BWDB officials, the Brahmaputra was flowing 54cm above the danger mark at Noonkhawa and 51cm at Chilmari and 88cm at Dharla at Kurigram points in Kurigram and 31cm at Ghagot at Gaibandha point at 9:00am on Monday.
The Jamuna was flowing 62cm above the danger mark at Fulchhari in Gaibandha, 57cm at Bahadurabad in Jamalpur, 42cm at Sariakandi in Bogura, 28cm at Kazipur and 6cm at Sirajganj points in Sirajganj districts at 9:00am.
Following further rise in its water levels during the period, the Teesta was flowing 20cm above the danger mark at Dalia point in Nilphamari at around 5:30pm and 8cm above the danger mark at Kawnia point in Rangpur.
Rabiul Islam, Executive Engineer of BWDB's Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) Division at Dalia, said the Teesta was flowing 55cm above the danger mark at Dalia point at 12 midnight on Sunday night.
Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Jyoti Prosad Ghosh said water levels of the Teesta and Dharla might start receding in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in the next 24 hours.
 "I have visited the flood-hit areas alongside the rivers Dharla and Brahmaputra in Kurigram," Ghosh said, adding that all flood control embankments and structures were safe under Rangpur zone of BWDB in Rangpur Division.
Meanwhile, the government has launched relief operations as the second phase of deluge exposed thousands of people to sufferings following inundation of vast low-lying areas in the affected districts in the Brahmaputra basin.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) for Kurigram Abdul Hye Sarker said 170 tonnes of rice, Tk4, 00000, 2,000 packets of dry foods, TK2, 00000 each for baby food and animal fodder had been allocated for distribution in the district.
"Around 91,116 lakh people of 22,779 families of 448 villages in 56 unions under all nine upazilas in the district have been affected by the second phase of the deluge this season," he said.
DRRO for Rangpur ATM Akhteruzzaman said the district administration had allocated 100 tonnes of rice, Tk4, 00000, 1,500 packets of dry food and Tk2, 00000 for animal fodder for distribution among flood-hit people of three upazilas in the district.
"Around 55,000 people of some 18,000 families have become marooned in the low-lying areas of Gangachara, Kawnia and Pirgachha upazilas of the district during the current phase of the deluge in the district," he added.
Our correspondent from Kurigram said the flood situation in Kurigram district had deteriorated further as all the rivers continued to swell, leaving nearly one lakh people marooned. The Brahmaputra River and Dharla River and the Teesta River were flowing above the danger line.
As flood water inundated vast areas more than one lakh people in 56 unions of 9 upazilas of the district were marooned. Many people took shelter on roads and dams as water entered their homes.
Flood water snapped road communication in some areas. Water Development Board officials said initiatives were being taken to prevent erosion by dropping sand-filled GO-bags at 11 points.
Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Rezaul Karim said boats and speedboats had been kept ready to rescue the stranded people. Some 438 shelters, including schools and madrasas, were prepared and police took necessary steps to maintain law and order there, he said.
An eight-month-old baby drowned in floodwater at Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat on Monday.
In Sunamganj, people of all the 11 upazilas are still in peril as the flash flood hit the region for the second time amid the pandemic. Fish farmers have incurred a huge loss and farmers would entirely lose their crops if the flood prolongs a few more days.
In Sylhet, the Surma was flowing 80cm above the danger level at Kanaighat point on Monday morning, affecting around 48,000 families in five upazilas.
Our correspondents from Lalmonirhat, Pabna and Dinajpur also report that some low-lying areas of districts went under flood water causing sufferings of thousands of people.















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