60,000 marooned as flash flood hits Lalmonirhat
Women wade through knee-deep water at Etapota village in Mogholhat union under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila yesterday as overflowing Teesta and Dharla rivers worsened flood situation in the district amid downpour for the last four days and onrush of water from the upstream. Photo: STAR
Over 60 thousand people in five upazilas of the district have been marooned by flash flood caused by heavy downpour and swelling of Teesta and Dharla rivers. The Teesta is flowing 3 centimetres above its danger mark at Dowani point of Hatibandha upazila, Enayet Ullah, executive engineer of Lalmonirhat Water Development Board said yesterday. Dharla was also flowing just around its danger level at Kulaghat point in Sadar upazila yesterday morning, he said. Floodwater has inundated the low-lying areas beside the two rivers. People of these areas are leaving their homestead for safer shelter, Enayet Ullah added. The affected unions are Angorpota-Dahagram of Patgram upazila, Saniyazan, Goddimari, Sindurna and Dawabari of Hatibandha upazila, Votmari and Kakina of Kaliganj upazila, Mohishkhocha and Durgapur of Aditmari upazila and Kulaghat, Khuniyagachh, Rajpur, Mogholhat unions in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. Flood affected Mohir Uddin, 48, of Kalmati village under Sadar upazila said, torrential rain in the last four days and onrush of water from upstream have flooded their aman paddy field which might be damaged if the water does not recede within a short time. Rahad Ali, 50, another flood victim at Sindurna village of Hatibandha upazila, said that they are facing serious shortage of food and pure drinking water. Taher Uddin of Goddimari village under Hatibandha upazila feared that his domestic animals may not be saved as fodder crisis is acute in his flood-hit village. Mosaddek Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of Mohiskhocha union Parishad under Aditmari upazila, said more than 8,000 people belonging to 1700 families in eight villages of his union have been marooned by the flash flood. Hatibandha Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ashrafuzzaman yesterday said they have already sent a letter to the authorities seeking relief materials for the flood hit people of the upazila. Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mokhlesur Rahman Sarker told this correspondent that he along with five UNOs visited different flood affected areas yesterday. "We have already sanctioned some relief materials from general relief (GR) fund," he said. My office has sent an emergency message to the relief ministry yesterday seeking allocation of relief materials for the 60,000 flood hit people immediately, the DC added.
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