BOGRA, Sep 13: Jamuna, the biggest river of the country, has receded further, causing slight improvement of flood situations in Bogra district including Sariakandi, Sonatola, Gabtoly and Dhunot upazila recently.
The flow of the Jamuna declined by 25 cm in the 24 hours until Sunday although the river was flowing 20 cm above the danger mark, said Water Development Board (WDB) sources. Meanwhile, the Bangalee, another flowing river of the district, has increased by one cm, following the collapse of a flood control embankment in the district early Sunday. It is flowing 53 cm above the danger mark.
Earlier, the two times flood inundated at least 150 villages of 25 unions of five upazilas of Bogra from late August to the first week of the month of September and affected at least 0.12 million (1.25 lakh) people of Jamuna and Bangalee river basin areas.
Although the flood water continued receding for three days, 390 villages of 53 unions under seven upazilas have remained under water and 0.28 million people of 52,678 families of the affected areas are still marooned and classes at 116 primary schools, 80 high schools and madrasas and four colleges in the district have remained suspended, said officials concerned.
The affected people, mostly staying under the open sky at high places including embankments, are suffering from crisis of food, drinking water and medicines. Many of them are also in need of fodder for their domestic animals.
District Civil Surgeon Dr Ardhendu Deb said one medical team was set for each union of five affected upazilas and a team for each upazila is kept standby in the headquarters.
Water purification tables and other medicines have been distributed among the flood victims and there is no report of disease related deaths so far, he said.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said at least 14,737 hectares of land of T-Aman, aus, lentils and vegetables in five upazilas of the district have been damaged by the flood. The government has so far distributed 175 tonnes of rice, at Tk 9.65 lakh in five flood affected upazials in the district, said Bogra Deputy Commissioner Md Ashraf Uddin.
A BSS report from Jamalpur adds: The overall flood situations in the district improved significantly as water level in the river Jamuna dropped further.
Water Development Board sources said during the last 24 hours Jamuna dropped 19 cm and was flowing 42 cm below the red mark at Bahadurabad Ghat point at 12 noon today.
Civil surgeon office said during the last 24 hours 178 people became sick from various diseases including diarrhoea, skin and eye diseases in the flood affected areas.
