Villages Near Hakaluki Haor Still Waterlogged
Over 2 lakh suffer due to 'unplanned' dyke
A woman along with her two grandchildren wades through the flooded Hakaluki haor bank village Bhukshimul. The photo was taken a few days ago. Photo: STAR
Over two lakh people of Hakaluki Haor bank villages under Kulaura, Juri and Baralekha upazilas in Moulvibazar district are passing days amid sufferings as their houses and croplands have been affected due to flooding from the large water body for two months. Locals said there is very little initiative from the government to mitigate their sufferings, except insufficient relief materials provided by the district administration. An unplanned embankment constructed in Pitaitikor Burikiari area under Fenchuganj upazila of Sylhet district in 2004 is responsible for this massive water logging, said people of the affected areas. They have urged the authorities concerned to remove the embankment to save the people and crops from the flood of Hakaluki Haor. The embankment blocked passage of water from the haor to Kushiyara River. A 70-metre-wide canal was excavated to drain out the haor water to Kushiyara River but it is too inadequate for the purpose, locals said. About 80 percent of boro paddy of last season and the whole of aus paddy in current season have been damaged due to heavy rainfall and onrush of water from hills across the border. Sources at Water Development Board (WDB) Moulvibazar Circle Office said 460 square kilometre area of 25 unions of Kulaura, Juri and Baralekha upazilas has been inundated, affecting two lakh 14 thousand people and damaging crops on 5825 hectares of land. The number of damaged houses is 8896 while that of damaged ponds and water bodies is 146. About 60 educational institutions of Juri, Kulaura and Baralekha upazilas in Moulvibazar district have remained closed due to the flooding. Over 700 affected families have taken shelter in 23 shelter camps in three upazilas. The worst affected unions are Bhatera, Brahminbazar, Kadipur, Bhukshimul of Kulaura upazila, Jayfoarnagar and West Juri of Juri upazila, Sujanagar, Talimpur, Daserbazar, Borni and Niz Bahadurpur of Baralekha upazila. People of the flood-affected areas are now selling their domestic animals to purchase food and to repair houses. "An influential BNP leader constructed a one and half kilometre-long embankment on Hakaluki Haor in Pitaitikor Burikiari area of Fenchuganj upazila under Sylhet district in 2004. As the unplanned embankment blocked passage of water from the haor to Kushiyara River, villages of Hakaluki haor bank in three upazilas of Moulvibazar and three upazilas of Sylhet district have remained affected for long," Sirajuddin Ahmed Badshah, chairman of the Bhukshimul union parishad, said. "About two lakh people of Kulaura, Baralekha and Juri upazilas of Moulvibazar are marooned. Houses and crop lands of the haor bank villages in the three upazilas have remained under water since floodwater engulfed the area in the last week of May. According to my assumption, the amount of losses including crops, houses, roads etc will be over Tk 1400 crore." He demanded immediate removal of the unplanned embankment. After visiting Pitaitikor Burikiari embankment on June 25, Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Md Mustafizur Rahman sent a report on the embankment to the higher authority and he is still waiting for instruction on the matter.
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