37 more Lalmonirhat villages flooded
A man wades through waist-deep water near his submerged house at Mohishkhocha village in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district yesterday as rain-fed Teesta River has continued flooding areas in its basin. Photo: STAR
The flood situation in the district worsened yesterday with the inundation of fresh low-lying areas in 37 villages of 10 unions of five upazilas. Heavy downpour and onrush of water from the upstream have added to the miseries of the flood-affected people. The water level of the Teesta was flowing 3 centimeter above the danger level at Daliya point of Hatibandha upazila at dawn yesterday while the Dharla was about to cross danger level at Kola Khawa ghat point in Lalmonirhat Sadar, BWDB officials said. At least 40,000 people were marooned in the Teesta and Dharla shoals and low-lying areas in Hatibandha, Kaliganj, Aditmari, Patgram and Sadar upazilas of the district, said administration sources. Meanwhile, erosion by the Dharla river in Mogholhat area of Sadar upazila took a serious turn due to continuous downpour for the last three days. Around 50 acres of land with several fruit orchards and bamboo clusters, cropland and at least 40 houses has been devoured by the river in this area in the last two days, Mogholhat UP chairman Habibur Rahaman Habib said. The BDR camp at Mogholhat in Sadar upazila might be eroded away at any time as the camp is only 200 meters away from the erosion-hit point. The officials at the camp sent a letter yesterday to the higher authorities concerned for urgent steps to save the outpost. Abdul Malek, Khuniya Gachh union parishad chairman in Lalmonirhat Sadar told this correspondent yesterday that the Teesta swelled so fast on Sunday that villagers did not get enough time to remove their belongings. Finding no alternative, they took shelter on the embankment of the Teesta, he added. The affected unions are Dahagram of Patgram upazila, Goddimari, Sindurna, Paruliya of Hatibandha upazila, Votmari of Kaliganj upazila, Mohishkhocha of Aditmari upazila and Khuniya Gachh, Rajpur, Kulaghat and Mogholhat of Sadar upazila, said Lalmonirhat BWDB officials. Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Raja Miah held emergency meeting at his office yesterday noon to discuss steps against flood and erosion with union parishad chairmen. “We have started distributing relief goods among the flood and erosion-hit people at 5:00 pm yesterday,” the UNO said.
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