Some 40,000 residents of the district’s Beanibazar upazila have been marooned in flashfloods amidst alarming rise of water levels in Surma, Kushiara and Sonai rivers.

According to sources, at least four upazilas in the district have their communication system cut off from the rest of the country.

Beanibazar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kazi Arifur Rahman said breaching of dikes in the Kushiara River in five spots has increased the level of damage inflicted by the floods.

Hiron Mahmud, project implementation officer, said that no flood relief shelters have been established so far, but estimated that over 40,000 people have been marooned in the region.

Paresh Chandra Das, local agriculture officer, said that Aus paddy in 940 hectares out of a total 2,327 hectares of arable land has been damaged, causing an estimated loss of Tk 6.5 crore.

Upon investigation, it was found that the areas of Dubag Bazar, Mewa Point, Kakardia and others were inundated, alongside the upazila’s villages of Ramda, Sridhara, Chandgram, Tajpur and many more.

Meanwhile, Education Minister and local MP Nurul Islam Nahid visited the flooded areas in the region and distributed relief among the affected people.

Upazila administration sources said that 15 MT rice and 300 packets of dry food have already been distributed from their end, with many more to follow.

Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon also visited the flood-affected areas in Moulvibazar district and was reported to have distributed relief, accumulated from his personal fund and a locally-sourced aid fund.

He said that the government has enough aid materials for distribution and in their disaster management trust fund. The government has also taken steps for post-flood rehabilitation for everyone affected by the calamity. -UNB

(Published 2018/06/20 at 12:32 am)