50 more villages flooded in Lalmonirhat
Two women do their household work amid difficulty on the premises of their flooded house at Elapota village of Mogholhat union in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila yesterday.Photo: STAR
Low-lying areas of 50 more villages in 14 unions under five upazilas in Lalmonirhat district have been flooded due to continuous downpour and sudden onrush of water from upstream. Both the Teesta and Dharla rivers crossed the danger mark yesterday. Teesta was flowing 12 centimetre above danger level at Daliya point of Hatibandha upazila at noon while Dharla 22 centimetre above the red mark at Kolakhawa Ghat point in Lalmonirhat Sadar, sources at BWDB office said. At least 50,000 people were marooned in Teesta and Dharla shoals and low-lying areas in Hatibandha, Kaliganj, Aditmari, Patgram and Sadar upazilas of the district, administration sources said. Lalmonirhat BWDB Executive Engineer MA Matin Sarker stated the situation worsened as India kept gates of Gajoldoba Barrage open on Wednesday. Onrush of water from upstream swelled Teesta and Dharla resulting in overflow of banks, he said. "The water levels of both the rivers are increasing alarmingly. If it continues for the next 24 hours, over two lakh people in the river basin areas in Lalmonirhat will face a serious flood situation," he said. Meanwhile, the flood-affected people have been facing crisis of food and pure drinking water. "One hundred families in our village suddenly got marooned by the water of Dharla river on Wednesday night. We could not cook food due to flood water around us," said Rohitas Chandro Barmon, 48, at Etapota village of Mogholhat union under Sadar upazila. "We are yet to get any help from the government or even from any NGO. Many people in the village are starving", said Akhter Hossain, 62, another flood victim. A large number of affected people have taken shelter on the embankment of Teesta and Dharla rivers and nearby highlands. The flood-hit unions are Dahagram, Sree Rampur of Patgram upazila, Goddimari, Sindurna, Paruliya, Dawabari of Hatibandha upazila, Votmari, Kakina of Kaliganj upazila, Mohishkhocha, Durgapur of Aditmari upazila and Khuniya Gachh, Rajpur, Kulaghat and Mogholhat unions of Sadar upazila.
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