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Published : 03 Sep 2024, 02:22 AM
Feni has been grappling with severe flooding for 13 days, as continuous rainfall and upstream floodwaters from India have overwhelmed local communities.
Since Aug 21, residents have been fleeing to shelters, but significant areas in the Sadar, Daganbhuiyan, and Sonagazi Upazilas remain inundated, with no clear signs of relief.
People in these areas are still enduring severe hardship in shelters, with the spread of waterborne diseases like diarrhoea adding to their woes.
Approximately 15,000 people are reliant on relief supplies, while those stranded in rural areas face difficulties accessing food and medical care. The death toll in the flood has risen to 28.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board, or BWDB, has indicated that the damage to the Musapur regulator is hindering water drainage, and it will take more time for the water to recede.
On Monday, many villages in the Dhaliya and Lemua Unions of Sadar Upazila remained underwater, forcing residents to use makeshift banana raft transports.
Mir Hossain, an auto-rickshaw driver from Domurua in the Panchgachia Union, said they have been living under dire conditions for the past 13 days.
“No one can tell us when the water will recede,” he said.
In shelters like the Mamata Uddin High School in Elahiganj, while potable water is available, there is a severe water shortage for daily needs.
Many residents are forced to use floodwater for washing.
Semna Khatun, a resident at the shelter, said: “There is a problem with bathing here. Many are bathing in the floodwaters.”
Haradhan Nath from Tulabaria village said the floodwaters had ruined all the belongings in his house. His son's textbooks also got wet, and he put them out in the sun to dry in the morning.
Sadar Upazila's top administrator Md Nazmul Hasan said around 3,000 people remain in shelters due to persistent waterlogging in some areas.
The floodwaters continue to affect areas like Rajapur and Sindurpur in Daganbhuiyan Upazila, with water still submerging homes.
Many residents in East Chandrapur, Rajapur, Karmullapur, Joynarayanpur, Chandradweep, North Karimpur, Sapuya, and Baitharpar villages remain in shelters due to waterlogged homes.
In North Karimpur, the main road remains submerged under knee-deep water. Over a hundred people are still taking refuge on the ground and first floors of North Karimpur Government Primary School.
Around two hundred people are residing at the Raghunathpur shelter, where local Kazi Habibullah Sumon distributed cooked meals to the displaced.
"I was able to provide at least one meal for the people in the shelter. Earlier, I provided cooked food to over 150 people at the Sujatpur shelter in Darbesh Hat of Sindurpur union council," he said.
Volunteer Md Shahidul Islam said: "The floods have damaged many homes as well as toilets.
We have started working on building toilets for the poor, and a fund-raising effort is underway for this purpose."
Nibedita Chakma, the Upazila executive officer, or UNO, of Daganbhuiyan, said, “As of Sunday, over 10,000 people were still in shelters. The water is slowly receding from the flooded villages, and relief is being widely distributed in the affected areas
In Sonagazi Upazila, many low-lying areas remain flooded. However, residents are starting to return to their homes despite the water still being present.
By Monday, most shelters were reported to be empty, according to UNO Kamrul Hasan.
‘WATERLOGGING CAUSED BY REGULATOR COLLAPSE’
When asked why the water has been stagnant for so long, Abul Kashem, the sub-divisional engineer at WDB’s Feni unit, said: “The floodwaters in Phulgazi and Parshuram have receded as the water level of the Muhuri River has decreased.
“However, the waterlogging in Daganbhuiyan Upazila is due to the collapse of the Musapur regulator. Tidal water is entering Daganbhuiyan and Sonagazi areas, causing low-lying areas in Daganbhuiyan to remain waterlogged.”
“Meanwhile, parts of Panchgachia and Sarishadi unions in Sadar Upazila are still waterlogged because the water in the Kakri River, which is near the Indian border, is still overflowing. It will take a few more days for the water to recede from these areas,” he said.
Rashed Shahriar, Feni WDB's executive engineer, said: “Water from Cumilla and Noakhali flows through the Choto Feni River. The collapse of the Musapur regulator has slowed the water flow due to tidal effects, which is taking time.
“Moreover, floods are still ongoing in Cumilla and Noakhali, bringing water to several unions in Daganbhuiyan and some unions in Sadar Upazila. That’s why these areas are still waterlogged. It rained heavily in Feni today as well. It will take a few more days for the water to recede.”
DEMAND FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF MUSAPUR REGULATOR
The Musapur regulator, built on the Choto Feni River at a cost of Tk 330 million, was destroyed by floodwaters during the current flood. In response, residents of Sonagazi have formed a human chain demanding its reconstruction.
The human chain was organised in the morning at Zero Point in Sonagazi municipal town.
Speakers included Upazila BNP President Gias Uddin, former president Zainal Abedin Bablu, General Secretary Jamal Uddin Sentu, District Krishak Dal General Secretary Shamsuddin Khokon, Upazila Jamaat-e-Islami chief Maulana Mohammad Mustafa, secretary Md Badruzzaman, municipal chief Maulana Kalimullah, Islami Andolon leader Maulana Hizbullah, and journalist Jasim Uddin.
The speakers demanded the swift reconstruction of the Musapur regulator to protect homes and agricultural land in Sonagazi, Companiganj, and six other Upazilas from the salinity of tidal water.
They also accused the WDB of corruption in constructing the regulator and demanded a proper investigation and punishment for the officials involved.
Former mayor of Sonagazi municipality, Jamal Uddin Sentu, said the regulator was constructed at a cost of Tk 330 million on the Choto Feni River, along the border of Char Darbesh Union in Sonagazi Upazila and Noakhali’s Companiganj Upazila, between 2005 and 2009.
“The Musapur regulator, with its 23 gates, was built to protect 1,30,000 hectares of agricultural land in Sonagazi and Noakhali areas from salinity and tidal water, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the local people,” he said.
Former Chairman of Char Darbesh Union, Abul Kalam Azad, said: “There was massive corruption during its construction, which is why the regulator collapsed in such a short period.”
The regulator was washed away into the river under pressure from floodwaters on Aug 26, inundating vast areas nearby and causing panic among the residents.
The district's death toll has reached 28, with new fatalities reported in recent updates. As floodwaters recede, outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea have been reported, with free medical camps being set up to address the health crisis.
[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]
