Boat crisis hampers rescue efforts in flood-hit Sylhet

As large swathes of Sylhet remain submerged amid heavy rains, the local authorities are struggling to evacuate a growing number of flood-stricken people due to a shortage of rescue boats in the district.

"Many have been left stranded and they just want to survive. But boats are the most elusive things for them now,” Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Mujibur Rahman said on Saturday.

Floods have swept across the region for a third time due to heavy rains and the onrush of mountain runoffs. The situation is expected to deteriorate as Meghalaya and Assam experienced record rainfall.

According to the divisional commissioner of Sylhet, about 3.5 million people in Sylhet and Sunamganj have been affected by the floods.

"We are trying to rescue and take them to the flood shelters," said Divisional Commissioner Mosharrof Hossain.

Aziz Miah, a resident of Gowaighant Upazila's Alirgaon, gave credence to the deputy commissioner's concerns about the rescue boat crisis.

Almost all the inhabitants of the Upazila have been affected by the floods, said Aziz, who called it the worst disaster in decades. "No one wants relief -- they just want to survive. But there aren't many boats to rescue them."

The government has deployed army and navy personnel to speed up flood rescue and relief efforts. Many have been taken to safety but there are allegations that the shelters are running low on water and food supplies.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Nurul Islam said a million people in 13 Upazilas, including Sylhet city, are now stranded due to the floods.

Many parts of the district are also without power as substations and transmission lines are currently submerged.

The weather has also disrupted the mobile network in the region, compounding the woes of residents.

“There has been no electricity in the area since Thursday as the power substation has been submerged. There is no mobile network or internet,” said Kabir Ahmed from South Surma.

Only homes in the elevated and hilly parts of the district have been safe from flooding. Most of the people in the shelters are those who live in tin-roofed or single-storey homes.

Additionally, the food and potable water crisis in the flood-prone areas of the district and the city is at its peak.

Ramiz Uddin of Companiganj Upazila's Islampur found refuge at a shelter after floodwaters engulfed his house for the second time in the space of a month.

But he claims that he did not get anything to eat at the shelter except for some dry food.

Chhararapa-resident Bakul Mia, who is taking refuge in the city's Kishori Mohan Government Primary School shelter, said they are yet to receive any aid at the centre. There are no cooking facilities either, according to him.

"Everyone is having trouble eating. But what can we do? I'm out of work so how am I supposed to feed my children?”

"All in all, we are going through a terrible time," said Aziz Mia of Gowainghat.

Due to the power outage coupled with the shortage of safe drinking water, many city-dwellers are buying bottled water.

Tasneem Khandaker lives in the suburbs of the city, which has been without power for the last two days.

"The drinking water crisis is affecting us the most. We are just about managing by buying bottled drinking water from the market,” he said.

The area's water supply was cut off for about eight days during the floods in May, making it difficult to carry out household chores, according to him.

Regional health complexes are also struggling to operate effectively due to the lack of power.

Companiganj Upazila Family Planning and Health Officer Mohammad Selim said the facilities are reliant on generators for electricity. However, generator oil is also running low and it is not possible to get fresh supplies as most roads are underwater.

Services such as X-ray tests have been suspended as it is not possible to operate most diagnostic equipment using a generator.

The official fears that health services will be disrupted further if the situation persists.

The weather forecast for Sylhet and Sunamganj is grim as heavy rains are expected to continue throughout the next two days, according to Saeed Ahmed Chowdhury, senior meteorologist at Sylhet Meteorological Office. But the rains are likely to let up after Jun 20.