Rain, river water hit 350 Satkhira villages
A man wades through chest-deep water in flood-hit Kanaidia village in Tala upazila to reach a safer place, bottom, a betel grower gives a bleak look at his garden submerged by flood water at Kumira village of the upazila under Satkhira district yesterday.Photo: STAR
Heavy monsoon rain and water from rain-fed Kobadak and Betrabati rivers inundated around 350 villages under 22 unions of Tala, Kalaroa and Satkhira Sadar upazilas on Tuesday, marooning over three lakh people The worst-affected unions are Kumira, Dhandia, Sarulia, Jalalpur, Islamkati, Magura, Tentulia and Khalishkhali in Tala upazila; Deara, Jugikhali and Jalalabad unions in Kalaroa upazila; and Bali, Labsa and Jhowdanga in Sadar upazila. District administration sources said 45 educational institutions, transplanted Aman on about 40,000 acres of land, Aman seedlings on 400 acres, Aus paddy on 150 acres and turmeric on 432 acres have been submerged in the affected areas of the three upazilas. Betel leaves on 500 acres of land in seven unions of Tala upazila and three unions in Kalaroa upazila have been flooded. Besides, shrimp enclosures on 48 acres of land were washed away while 24,000 thatched houses damaged in the flood-hit upazilas, sources said. Most of the areas have gone under two to three feet water and boat is the only means of communication. While visiting some affected areas yesterday, this correspondent saw over 180 families have taken shelter at Kashpur High School in Tala upazila while over 172 families at Taltala High school in Sadar upazila. No relief goods or relief teams reached the affected areas as of yesterday. Tala Upazila Parishad Chairman Ghosh Sanat Kumar said he has already informed the higher authorities about the situation of 12 unions in the upazila and sought relief for the affected people. “We are trying to shift the marooned people to safer places.” he added Local Awami League (AL) lawmaker Engineer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman yesterday visited the affected villages and assured the people of providing adequate relief for them. Contacted, Satkhira Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Abdus Samad said local administration is taking measure to set up new seedbeds so that the farmers can transplant Aman seedlings as soon as water recedes. On July 26, incessant rain caused the silted Kobadak and Betrabati rivers to overflow their banks and flood the villages along the rivers in Tala and Sadar upazils. The villagers have remained waterlogged since July 26, affecting at least 50,000 people. But sufferings of the affected people mounted with fresh flood caused by downpour.
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