Flood deaths leap to 82

Situation improves further in Brahmaputra basin

FE REPORT | Published: June 25, 2022 23:27:20

Fatalities caused by the floods in the country's Sylhet and other regions have jumped to 82 as nine more deaths were reported on Saturday.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in its regular health bulletin said the deaths were reported between May 17 and June 25 in Sylhet, Mymensingh and Rangpur divisions.
Sylhet division logged highest 51 deaths, Mymensingh 27 and Rangpur four deaths.
Of the total, 26 people died in Sunamganj and 18 in Sylhet while most of them died by drowning and due to lightning strikes.
Other reasons for death included snakebite and physical trauma.
With the water level falling, the flood-affected areas are witnessing an outbreak of cholera.
According to the DGHS, so far 3,664 people have suffered from diarrhoea including 388 in the last one day.
Some 5,202 people suffered from different diseases and complications due to floods.
BSS adds: Flood situation improved further during the last 24 hours ending at 9am today with continuous fall in water levels of all major rivers in the Brahmaputra basin.
Officials in the district administrations said normalcy started returning in flood-hit areas as many displaced people already came back homes with continuous improvement of the deluge situation in the last three days.
Despite improvement in flood situation, relief activities have been intensified further in the flood-affected areas.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said water levels of major rivers marked falls following further reduction in the rate of onrushing water from upstream amid insignificant rainfalls during the last 24 hours in the river basin.
Major rivers were flowing below their respective danger marks at all monitoring points except at Hatia in Kurigram where the Brahmaputra was still flowing above its danger marks by 15cm at 9 am today.
The improving trend of flood situation might continue in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura and Sirajganj during the next 24 hours.
According to a bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of BWDB, the recorded rainfalls during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today were only 40mm at Darjeeling and 33mm at Cherrapunji points of the northeastern Indian states.
No rainfalls were recorded inside Bangladesh in the Brahmaputra basin during the period.
In the next 48 hours, there is a chance of medium to heavy rainfall in the sub-Himalayan West Bengal and water level of the Teesta may remain close to the danger mark.
According to BWDB officials, water level of the Dudhkumar marked a further fall by 2cm at Pateshwari in Kurigram during the last 24 hours and was flowing below the danger mark by 49cm there at 9 am today.
Water levels of the Teesta marked falls by 33cm at Dalia and 3cm at Kawnia points during the period and were flowing below their respective danger marks by 15cm and 65cm at these points.
Besides, water levels of the Brahmaputra marked fall by 28cm at Noonkhawa and 30cm at Chilmari points during the period and were flowing below danger mark by 67cm and 30cm respectively at these points.
Water levels of the Jamuna marked sharp falls by 35cm at Fulchhari, 31cm at Shaghata, 35cm at Bahadurabad, 32cm at Sariakandi, 36cm at Kazipur and 35cm at Sirajganj points during the last 24 hours.
The Jamuna was flowing below its danger mark by 26cm at Fulchhari, 120cm at Shaghata, 22cm at Bahadurabad, 5cm at Sariakandi, 10cm at Kazipur and 8cm at Sirajganj points at 9am today.
saif.febd@gmail.com