Flood fades Eid festival of char people

KURIGRAM, July 30: The overall flood situation in the district has improved a bit, but about four lakh people are suffering as flood water is yet to recede from their houses.
They have been hit both by corona and flood. They are passing days in hardship. Their daily earnings have been suspended.
Houses of more than 2,000 families have been eroded and washed away.
In the flood-hit areas, crises of food, drinking water and fodder have been acute.
In these situations, the Eid festival for the people of about 400 chars  has been faded away. Mofazzol Hossain of Garuhara Char in Brahmaputra basin at Sadar Upazila said, "We live from hand to mouth. Coronavirus suspended our work, and later flood has made us totally workless. I am in hard condition with my seven-member family. In the last one month of flooding, I have got 10 kg rice only. The rice has been finished already. We have no Eid."
Another Hazera Begum of Baladobarchar under Begumganj Union in Ulipur Upazila said, "My husband has been workless for the last three to four months. We have no food stock in house. Eid is meaningless for us."
Chairman of Bozra Union in Ulipur Upazila Md Rezaul Karim Amin and Chairman of Sadar Jatrapur Union Md Ayub Ali Sarker said, people of these unions have been passing days in severe condition for a long time. They need public and private assistances.
Each of them has been given 10 kg of rice, they added.
Deputy Commissioner Md Rezaul Karim said, the official relief distribution is on among the flood-hit people. Before the Eid, each of 4,28,525 families got 10-kg VGF rice.
If necessary, more food assistance will be given, he added.
Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Kurigram Md Ariful Islam said the Brahmaputra River is flowing 30cm above danger mark at Chilmari point and the Dharla River above 5cm at Bridge point.