Five lakh people marooned in Sylhet, Sunamganj floods

Around three lakh people of five upazilas of Sylhet district have been marooned due to an onrush of water from upstream and heavy showers.

Meanwhile, at least 13 unions and one municipality in Sunamganj’s Chatak upazila have been inundated by floodwater as of Wednesday, leaving around two lakh people stranded.

In Sylhet, low-lying areas, including houses, roads, educational institutions, and shops of the upazilas were inundated.

There have been heavy rains since Wednesday morning, which worsened the flood situation.

More than 300 villages, educational institutions, and roads of Companiganj, Gowainghat, and Jaintapur upazilas went under water. Forty-two shelters were opened in Gowainghat for the flood-hit people.  

Meanwhile, the water of the River Surma entered houses and shops in Sylhet city. It seeped into the wholesale market at Kalighat and Mohajon Potti for the second time in one month.

Road communications among all unions of Gowainghat upazila were snapped. Around 90 percent of people of the upazila were stranded. 

Purbo and Paschim and Moddho Jaflong, Purbo and Paschim Alir Gaon, Rustampur, Tuakul, and Lengura were also inundated.

Tahmilur Rahman, upazila nirbahi officer of Gowainghat, said: "Many people have become marooned due to the second phase flood. The administration has prepared 42 shelters, and initiative has been taken to take the affected people there."

Meanwhile, Purbo and Paschim Laxmiprashad, Chatul, and low-lying areas of Kanaighat upazila went under water. Hundreds of people of Zakiganj upazila were affected.  

Companiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sukanta Chakrabarty said the roads of Sadar upazila were inundated.

According to the Water Development Board, water levels continued to rise in the rivers Surma, Kushiara, Sari, Luva, and Dhalai till Wednesday afternoon.

The water level at Surma was flowing above the danger level at Kanaighat and Sylhet points.

In Sunamganj, several hundred houses, more than 200 educational institutions and at least 100 fish enclosures went under water in recent days. 

Various parts of Gobindaganj-Chhatak highway has been inundated too. 

The Surma, The Chela and The Piyain rivers continue to swell due to heavy showers and onrush of water from the upstream. 

Road communication between Chhatak  and other parts of the country has been snapped to the recent flooding. 

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Chhatak upazila Mamunur Rahman, more than one hundred people have taken shelter government shelter centers. 

Berajpur, Noapara, Alampur, Bilpar, Dashghar, Krishnanagar, Anondonagar, Bagain, Lakshmipur, Gabindanagar and Mohonpur areas of the upazila are the worst affected areas.

Berajpur Government Primary School Headmaster Manik Mia said that floodwater has destroyed important documents of his school. 

“We’ve used a boat to shift the documents from the ground floor of the school to another floor,” said Manik.

According to information provided by the Water Development Board (WDB) of the district, water of the Surma river at Chhatak point was flowing above the danger mark Wednesday noon. 

“A total of four schools have been declared as shelters. The upazila administration is providing dry food to the people living in the shelters,” said Mamunur.