More misery in flood forecast; northern Bangladesh reels

The government hospital in Nilphamari's Syedpur is operating with basic facilities in waist-deep water while a large portion of the boundary wall of the domestic airport has collapsed after floodwaters started entering the civil aviation compound.

If the water level rises further, the hospital may have to be abandoned and flight operations from Syedpur airport suspended.

Floodwaters have submerged railway tracks in Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurhigram and Panchagarh, snapping rail links of these four districts with the rest of the country.

At least 13 deaths were reported in Dinajpur district alone until Monday.

The floods triggered by heavy rains and onrush of water from upstream have affected almost all the districts in Rangpur division.

Flood Dinajpur

The government says 20 districts in the country have been hit by the second spell pf flooding this year.

News of floods in India's West Bengal and Assam have raised fears of wider and prolonged flooding in Bangladesh because the water will flow into the sea through Bangladesh.

The authorities have made preparations to combat the calamities, according to Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

"The government has been upgrading its readiness to face the situation following reports of severe flooding in upstream countries like China, India, Nepal and Bhutan," he told a news conference in Dhaka on Monday.

“We have been carefully monitoring the situation in those countries,” he said. “After all, the water will naturally flow downstream to us.”

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the level of water at the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Ganges-Padma basins may rise in next three days.

Flood Kurigram

The flood situation in the north will worsen in that case.

The level of water in the Punarbhaba river has not risen, but the collapse of the dam protecting Dinajpur has left the town submerged.

At least 13 deaths in floods were reported in the district until Monday.

The death toll in Nilphamari is two, Lalmonirhat four and Kurhigram five on Monday.

Flood-hit people in Dinajpur, Bogra, Kurhigram and other districts are searching for shelters on higher grounds. Some people, along with their livestock, are living on boats while some others at makeshift homes on streets.

Fresh floods have deluged 356 Upazilas in 20 districts, including northeastern districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrakona, northern districts of Rangpur, Kurhigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Bogra and Sirajganj, and the hill tract districts of Rangamati and Khagrhachharhi.

In eight districts of Rangpur division, 1,031 schools have been closed and are being used as flood shelters.

Sayedpur Airport Nilphamari

The less affected northern districts are Gaibandha, Sirajganj and Naogaon; but the rising water and news of collapse or breach of dams indicate that the situation is also worsening in those districts.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said new areas in the central and southern region might get inundated as the water level continues to rise.

According to Minister Maya, 586,000 people in the 20 districts have been affected in the latest round of floods during the erratic monsoon this year

He said the shelters in the flood-hit areas have taken in a total of 368,586 people so far.

Flood Nilphamari

A total of 10,630 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 31 million will be distributed among the affected districts and those at risk from the floods.

He claimed the authorities have the ability to tackle the situation even if it worsens further.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam, after a visit to his district Thakurgaon in the north, has criticised the government, alleging that it failed to respond quickly to the need of the affected people.