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Published : 06 Oct 2024, 11:12 PM
Heavy rains and upstream runoffs has worsened the flooding in the Haluaghat, Dhobaura, and Fulbaria Upazilas of Mymensingh.
New areas have been submerged, and more than 150,000 people across 21 unions in these three Upazilas have become stranded, according to local authorities.
All three Upazilas are without electricity and mobile networks, leaving residents isolated and struggling with communication, District Relief and Disaster Rehabilitation Officer Md Sanowar Hossain said on Sunday afternoon.
Mymensingh District Fisheries Officer Mohammad Nazim Uddin said, “Due to the heavy rains and upstream water, 7,080 fish farmers have been affected, with a total estimated loss of Tk 508.8 million."
Primary and secondary schools have been declared as shelters, with more than 1,500 people, including women and children, currently taking refuge, according to the district administration.
The authorities have provided 30 metric tonnes of rice as food aid to the three Upazilas. Relief distribution is ongoing, and cooked meals are also being provided to the flood victims.
However, no reports of casualties have surfaced as yet.
The flood-affected people said that Dhobaura is facing an acute shortage of dry food and clean water. However, the administration is providing food in some areas.
Around 50 homes near the banks of the Netai River have been washed away. Many people trapped by the floodwaters are seeking shelter at relatives' homes.
In various locations such as Kolsindur, Jigatala, and Panchanandapur, the embankment of the Netai River has been breached, allowing water to flood into the local areas, submerging the entire Upazila.
In Fulbaria Upazila, most of the areas in Sondhara, Rambhadrapur, Singheswar, and Fulbaria unions, along with parts of other unions, have been submerged.
The floodwaters have destroyed the Aman crops and vegetable fields, and fish farms have been washed away.
Many major roads have also been flooded, including the paved road from the Upazila headquarters to Kolsindur, the Ghoshgaon-Dhobaura paved road, the Ghoshgaon-Baligao paved road, and the Munshirhat Bazar to Shalkona paved road.
Almost all the unions in Haluaghat have been flooded. Thousands of hectares of rice fields and vegetable farms have been submerged, and fish ponds washed away.
Thousands of people are trapped by the floodwaters. Cooking is being disrupted as water has entered their homes, leaving people struggling with hunger and food shortages.
Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department Hasina Akhter Banu said that in Dhobaura Upazila, 11,700 hectares of rice fields have been submerged, of which 7,500 hectares are completely underwater and 4,200 hectares partially. Additionally, 60 hectares of vegetable fields have been affected.
In Haluaghat, 7,600 hectares of rice fields have been deluged, with 4,100 hectares completely submerged and 3,500 hectares partially, along with 75 hectares of vegetable fields.
In Fulbaria, 3,630 hectares of rice fields have been submerged, of which 1,480 hectares are completely and 2,150 hectares partially underwater, along with 62 hectares of vegetable fields.
In Dhobaura Upazila’s Baghber union, Kabir Sarwar Sujan from Doumghata village has lost roughly 16.18 hectares of his fish farm and 60.70 hectares of rice fields to the floodwaters.
A resident, Kabir Sarwar Sujon, said: “I have been farming fish for 40 years. I have never faced such a situation before. In front of my eyes, carp fish worth Tk 4 million from six ponds were washed away by the floodwaters. For three days, 150 acres [60 hectares] of rice fields have been submerged. Everything is gone. Without government assistance, it will be impossible to recover.”
Siddique Mia from Amtail village said, “Water is everywhere, on the roads, in our homes, and even in the kitchen. We still haven’t received any dry food. We need food aid to survive.”
Abul Kashem, a resident of Kaichapur village, said: “I’ve never seen such a flood before. I saw the 1988 floods, but there wasn’t this much water. Water has entered our homes. We are in trouble with our cattle. The cows are tied up in the water.
“We are facing great difficulties. Moving around is very hard, with water up to chest level on the roads. There has been significant damage to crops. The Aman rice is under water, and we can’t hope to harvest it this time. Many vegetable fields have also been submerged.”
But, after inspecting the flood situation on Sunday morning, Mymensingh Divisional Commissioner Umme Salma Tanzia claimed the authorities are ‘fully prepared’.
“The government has provided us with sufficient support, including food and other necessities, based on the needs of the flood-affected people.”
She added that 58 shelters have been declared in the Upazilas. “Cooked meals and dry food are being provided to the people in the shelters. The weather office has predicted that there may be one more day of rain.”
Meanwhile, after visiting the flood-affected areas, BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh Prince said, “We haven’t seen such flooding in the past 15-20 years. Roads, bridges, culverts, people’s homes, crops, livestock, poultry—everything has been destroyed. None of us were prepared for such a situation.”
“We are standing by the people with whatever resources we have. From the very first day, we have been rescuing people, taking them to shelters, and distributing food. A list of the affected people is being prepared, and arrangements will be made for their rehabilitation.”
