No respite for flood-affected people in Sirajganj

Flood-hit people in different parts of Sirajganj are not seeing any immediate respite from their sufferings although floodwater has started receding from Saturday. Meanwhile, water level in the Jamuna river has started to rise again. As a result, many new areas in six upazilas of the district have been flooded in the last one week.

Floodwater in the river was still flowing above the danger level at different points as of yesterday, said AKM Rafikul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Sirajganj Water Development Board (WDB).

Floodwaters started receding from the area early Saturday, he said, adding that although water in the river is receding, the flood situation is still unchanged.

People suffer a lot as a number of houses and government and non-government offices remain under floodwater in Sadar and Chowhali upazilas of Sirajganj. Photo: Star/Collected

The affected people in the district are yet to get respite from their sufferings as the floodwater is now receding slowly from the area, he said.

Many new areas have been flooded due to the second phase of flood, according to the district relief and rehabilitation office in Sirajganj.

At present, 224 villages in 35 unions of six upazilas in the district have been flooded, said Md Abdur Rahim, district relief and rehabilitation officer, adding that the flood has marooned about 2.36 lakh people in 47,217 families of the upazilas.

Flood-affected people are not getting respite from their sufferings although floodwaters have started receding from the areas early Saturday. The affected people are mainly sufferings due to adequate supply of food, pure drinking water and shelter.

Kahinur Begum and Jamiran Begum of Betilchar in Sirajganj's Chowhali upazila said they have been facing the waterlogging problem since last month. Their houses still remain under floodwater. They are eating only dry food like puffed rice.

Several hundred families in the remote shoal of Jamuna in Betilchar area are suffering a lot as their houses are still submerged, said Md Anwar Hossain of the area, adding that "We hardly get relief from anyone. We are now struggling to survive in the flooding area."

Like Anwar, several flood-hit residents in different areas said they were not getting adequate relief from the government or the private organisations.

Contacted, the district relief and rehabilitation officer said flood relief work is stopped now as they have stared vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme for ultra-poor people in Sirajganj. A total of 2,500 families are likely to get 10 kg of rice under the programme.

The villagers said people in the affected areas mainly earn their livelihood by engaging in fishing and farming. Though water is receding, the affected people are passing hard days as they are jobless due to flooding.

"I have lost my income as my entire croplands remain under floodwater for a month," said grower Anwar Hossain, a resident of Betilchar area in Chowhali upazila.

Md Abdul Khaleque of Kamalpur village in Shahzadpur upazila said he is passing very hard days due to the flood. He is now making a living by rowing boat.

According to the district relief and rehabilitation office, 53 kilometer road and embankment have been damaged here due to flood. At least 35 educational institutions and 14,000 hectares of croplands are under floodwater at present.