Flood situation deteriorates in B'putra basin

RANGPUR, July 15 (Agencies): Flood situation deteriorated in the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Saturday marooning some 63,000 people in low-lying char areas following onrush of huge floodwater from upstream in the Brahmaputra basin.
Kurigram district administration officials said 62,880 people of 15,720 families have been marooned in 185 flood-hit villages of 45 unions in the district where 1,640 houses have been eroded and 14,010 more houses damaged partially or totally, so far.
Abdullah Al Mamun, Executive Engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the Dudhkumar river was flowing 42 cm above its danger level while the Dharla river was flowing 22 cm above the red mark.
Besides, the water level of Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers is also increasing rapidly.
Due to the rise in the water level of all major rivers, the roads were submerged while flood water also entered houses, causing untold suffering to the dwellers, especially sanitation problems and creating a shortage of drinking water.
Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said water levels of major rivers marked further rise and were flowing above danger marks (DM) at four points of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts at 9 am on Saturday.
The Dudhkumar was flowing above DM by 41cm at Pateshwari, Dharla by 21cm at Dharla Bridge and 12cm at Taluk Shimulbari points in Kurigram and Teesta above DM by 12cm at Dalia point in Nilphamari at 9 am on Saturday.
The Brahmaputra was flowing by only 5cm below DM at Hatia in Kurigram and Jamuna was flowing below DM by only 6cm at Fulchhari in Gaibandha, 4cm at Bahadurabad in Jamalpur and 15cm at Sariakandi points in Bogura at 9 am on Saturday.
Meanwhile, water level of the Teesta marked a fall by 7cm in the last three hours at Dalia point in Nilphamari to flow above DM by only 5cm at noon on Saturday.
At least 500 families of Kelapara, Tapur Char and Chatunama Char had knee-deep water in their houses causing sufferings for families as well as cattle.
Meanwhile, the water level of the Jamuna River in Sirajganj continued to rise Saturday due to onrush of waters from upstream and heavy rains. Already, the low-lying areas of five upazilas along the Jamuna bank have been flooded and new areas are being flooded.
In the last 24 hours, the water level in the Jamuna River has increased by 40cm and is now flowing just 22cm below the danger level, said Ranjit Kumar Sarkar, sub-divisional engineer (headquarters) of the Local Water Development Board.
Sesame, kaun, jute and various crops have been submerged. Flooding is expected as the water continues to rise, he said.