Flood situation worsening

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A family marooned within DND embankments area in the city is seen moving to safe places to escape the deluge. —FE photo by Ataur Rahman Babu

The floods that battered many parts of the country for days continued to worsen Monday as some major rivers swelled further over danger levels, a flood-warning bulletin said, report agencies.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in the bulletin said 11 rivers were flowing above the danger levels at 18 points and the flood situation may worsen further in 24 hours from 6.0am Monday.
The raging waters continued to threaten many flood protection embankments.
The Padma continued to devour hundreds of homes and shops along its course in Chapainawabganj, Shariatpur and Faridpur districts.
Thousands of flood-hit people left their homes for shelters while many roads and bridges were washed away in the battered regions.
According to the forecast, the waters in the river Dharala were flowing 73cm above the danger level in Kurigram.
The Brahmaputra at Noon Khaoa and Chilmari points in the district was flowing 61cm and 80cm above the danger mark, it said.
The Jamuna was flowing 84cm, 99cm and 85cm at Bahadurabad, Sirajganj and Aricha points while the Padma was flowing 105cm and 66cm above the flood level at Goalanda and Bhaggakul points.
The Surma was flowing 111cm above the danger mark at Kanaighat point, 27cm and 61cm above at Sylhet and Sunamganj points respectively.
The Kushiara was 3.0cm and 15cm above the danger mark at Amolshid and Sheola points.
The Someswari was 180cm above the danger mark at Durgapur point, the Kongsha 177cm at Jarianjal point, the Meghna 14cm at Bhairab and the Gomti 15cm above the flood level at Comilla point.
Meanwhile, five people were killed in flooding in Sirajganj
Monday as the northern districts along the Jamuna-Brahmaputra and Ganges basins bear the brunt of aggravating floods across the country.
Sirajganj district town is entirely awash, as the waters from the mighty rivers, swelling with intake of rain and rush of waters from upstream, caused havoc through these riverside districts.
Rafts and boats have replaced motorcars and rickshaws in this district headquarters, situated on the bank of Jamuna, and the scenario in rural areas is worse still.
The five dead were identified as Ashif, 2, son of Asraf Ali of Tentulia village under Ullapara Upazila, Sharmin, 3, daughter of Shamim Hossain of the same Tentulia village, Yamin, 3, daughter of Monirul Islam of Chhaydabad village in Sadar Upazila, Monser Ali, 70, of Shailabari village in Sadar Upazila, and Jalal Uddin, 25, of
Poranpur village in Kazipur Upazila.
Sources said Ashif and Sharmin drowned at 9:30 in the morning when they fell into floodwaters from their parents' laps. "The tragic incident happened as their families were shifting to a higher ground in a raft," says a spot account of the scene.
Yamin also drowned in floodwaters at Chhaydabad village in Sadar Upazila in the morning. Monser Ali and Jalal Uddin were electrocuted as they came in touch with live electric wire at about 11:30am.
Residents of the district town were passing days in misery as roads went under several feet of floodwater. Boats are plying the roads instead of rickshaws or motor vehicles, as the Jamuna was flowing 108 cm above its danger mark, sending deluge through the town and the villages.
Over 200,000 affected people of Kazipur, Chowhali, Shahjadpur, Belkuchi and Sadar upzilas took shelter in various centres and on flood-control embankments in the district. Local administration, however, halved the figure to 100,000.
Army troops, already deployed for combating crime and corruption, continued rescue operation in the affected areas.
In Sherpur, a three-and-a-half-year-old boy, Omar Siddique, son of Akbar Ali of Sankidanga village in Sadar Upazila, drowned in floodwater in the district, as the flooding played havoc with other neighbouring districts.
Meanwhile, floods made an inroad into the low-lying areas of the capital city through the unprotected eastern front, while the flood-forecasting and warning centre warned of further aggravation of the flood situation in the country.