Floods roil Sylhet city as over 650,000 affected in district

In the eight submerged Upazilas, 3,739 people have taken shelter

Heavy, continuous rains and incoming hill torrents from upstream have set off flash flooding swamping homes and roads in eight of the 13 Upazilas or sub-districts of Sylhet and leaving nearly 643,470 people stranded.

The Surma River quickly inundated the low-lying regions of the city near its banks, affecting at least 4,000 families.

Up until Friday afternoon, the number of people stranded and taking refuge in shelters in Sylhet has increased, according to the district administration.

According to a comprehensive report on the flood situation signed by Sylhet’s Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Rasel Hasan, 547 shelters have been opened as part of the flood preparedness in the 13 Upazilas. In the eight flooded Upazilas, 3,739 people have taken shelter.

Due to the impact of the cyclone Remal, there has been continuous heavy rainfall in the hilly areas of Meghalaya and Assam in India. Consequently, hill torrents from across the border have caused flooding in the Upazilas of Goainhat, Companiganj, Jaintapur, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Beanibazar, and Golapganj in Sylhet.

On Friday, new areas in the Sylhet Sadar Upazila were flooded.

In the afternoon, water was seen on the roads in the areas of Taltola, Jatarpur, Machimpur, and Upashahar in Sylhet city. The city residents were navigating through dirty water, with several blocks in Upashahar being more severely flooded.

The Sylhet City Corporation said, "The acting mayor, councillors, and officials of Sylhet City Corporation have been actively managing the flood situation throughout the day. From Friday morning, they have been monitoring the flood situation in various areas of the city.

It said shelters are being prepared ward by ward for the stranded people. “In ward number 15, 40 families from Kishori Mohan Government Primary School and an adjacent five-storey empty building in Matin Mia's colony have taken refuge.”

Its Public Relations Officer Sajlu Laskar said, “According to information provided by various councillors, 4,000 families in the city have been affected by the floods. Arrangements have been made to send them adequate dry food.

"Enough dry food will be delivered to the councillors of the flooded areas by [Friday night].”

Around 4:30pm, Acting Mayor Md Mokhlesur Rahman Kamran, Chief Executive Officer Md Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, local councillors Shahana Begum Shanu, Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury Masum of ward 22, and Humayun Kabir Suhin of ward 24 inspected areas in wards 15, 22, and 24, Subhanighat, Upashahar, and Terratan.

Acting mayor Kamran said, “Due to the hill torrents and continuous rain, the rivers in Sylhet have risen, and the low-lying areas have already been flooded. Floodwaters are advancing towards the city.

"Under the supervision of the mayor Md. Anowaruzzaman Chowdhury, all preparations have been completed in anticipation of confronting this crisis.”

The Sylhet City Corporation officials had held an emergency meeting on Thursday to manage the flood situation, where various decisions were made and employees' leaves were cancelled.

Executive Engineer of the District Water Development Board, Dipak Ranjan Das, said: “Until Friday evening, the water levels at three points on the Surma and Kushiyara rivers are flowing above the danger level. At the Surma Sylhet city point, the level is 4 centimetres above the danger level, and at Kanaighat point, it is 92 centimetres above.

"At the Kushiyara Zakiganj point, the water is two centimetres above the danger level. Meanwhile, the other rivers in Sylhet are also flowing below the danger level.”

According to the district administration's report, the highest number of 245,750 people are stranded by the floods are in Goainhat Upazila. All thirteen unions of the Upazila are affected by floods, and 1,242 people have taken shelter in 56 shelters.

In Companiganj Upazila, three out of six unions are flooded, stranding 93,000 people. Here, 73 people have taken refuge in 35 shelters.

Nine out of 10 unions are inundated in Kanaighat Upazila, leaving 80,600 people trapped. As many as 1,476 people have taken refuge in 31 shelters.

Three unions of Jaintapur Upazila have been submerged and 65,000 people are stranded, while 675 people have moved to 48 shelters.

In Zakiganj Upazila, eight out of nine unions are flooded, stranding 148,500 people. Here, 198 people have taken refuge in 55 shelters.

Zakiganj Upazila’s UNO Afsana Taslim said there has been no improvement or deterioration in the flood situation. "People coming to the shelters are being provided with cooked meals. Additionally, food assistance is ongoing,”she said.

In Beanibazar Upazila, flooding has affected five of the 10 unions, leaving 5,500 residents stranded. A total of 60 people have sought refuge in 67 available shelters.

However, in the Golapganj Upazila, flooding has so far impacted only one out of 11 unions, displacing 3,500 individuals. Out of these, 15 people have found shelter across 57 available facilities.

But in the Sylhet Sadar Upazila, floodwaters have deluged six of the seven unions, affecting 1,620 residents. So far, none of the displaced individuals have utilised the 29 shelters that have been prepared for them.