Gumti water inundates new areas in two Cumilla upazilas

Rising cases of respiratory diseases in flood-hit Burichang upazila

FE Team | Published: August 28, 2024 22:30:32

CUMILLA, Aug 28 (UNB): Gumti River is inundating new areas in Burichang and Brahmanpara upazilas of Cumilla district even seven days after flood waters breached its embankment, according to local people on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday morning, though the water level in the Gumti River has decreased, it has been flowing 8 centimeters above the danger mark.
However, floodwaters started receding from some other areas in the Burichang upazila, informed the locals.
Relief supplies for the flood-hit people are still arriving from different parts of the country. But it has become difficult to reach the aids to remote areas due to lack of water transports like boats and ferries.
The flood situation remains unchanged in other upazilas of the district including Nangalkot, Laksam, Monohorgonj, Chauddagram and Barura.
According to the district administration, over one million (10 lakh) people have been stranded by one of the worst floods in decades. Some 78,000 people have taken shelter in 724 shelter centres while 225 medical teams have been providing healthcare services.
The district administration said they have allocated Tk 33 lakh in cash and 600 metric tonnes of food aid.
Saheda Akhter, Nirbahi Officer of Burichang upazila, said now people need rice pulse, medicine and other necessary commodities to survive as waters started to recede.
Meanwhile, the recent flood in Cumilla's Burichang upazila have led to a significant rise in respiratory diseases, with a growing number of people suffering from cough, sore throat, chest pain, and cold, according to a visiting medical team from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Led by Dr. Tanveer Ahmad Joy and Dr. Sabrina Mansoor, the DMCH team has been working tirelessly to provide medical care in the remote areas of Burichang upazila.
On Tuesday, the team set up their first treatment camp at Lorbaug Government Primary School shelter, where they treated 102 patients. The majority of these patients, primarily women and children, were suffering from respiratory issues exacerbated by the cold, as well as injuries from metal cuts.
The medical team is being assisted by Dhaka Medical College students, including fifth-year students Nabil Bin Kashem, Md. Mohaiminul Islam, Ayman Jahin Akif, and third-year student Fahmid Jamil. Their efforts are part of a broader initiative to address the urgent medical needs arising from the flood's aftermath.
The costs of medicines and other medical supplies are being covered by the 88th batch of Cumilla Zilla School, who have stepped in to support the operation on humanitarian grounds.