Flood rages on in Sylhet, situation worsening with incessant rain
The flood situation in Sylhet has been taking a turn for the worse in the last couple of days.
Continuous rainfall and mountain runoff have triggered the second wave of flooding in Sylhet within 20 days, submerging numerous roads and homes.
Sylhet experienced 135mm rainfall from 6am yesterday to 6am today and saw 58mm rainfall from 6am to 12pm today, said Shah Md Shajib, assistant meteorologist at the Sylhet Met Office
According to the India Meteorological Department, Cherrapunji in India received 395 mm of rainfall from 6am yesterday to 6am today, causing a rapid rise in water levels in Sylhet’s rivers.
Water levels in six points of four rivers in Sylhet are flowing above the danger mark as of today (18 June) morning, reported the Water Development Board.
District administration data indicated that by yesterday (17 June) night, around 150,000 people in Sylhet district were affected due to the floodwaters. Local sources today reported that the number of affected people has increased to over 200,000.
Residents passed Eid day amid uncertainty as heavy rain began on Sunday (16 June) night and continued intermittently through the last two days, resulting in over half of Sylhet city being submerged.
On Eid day, the district administration distributed sacrificial meat, dry food, saline, and medicines to the flood-affected people.
Kaiyum Ahmed, a resident of the of the city, said, “I couldn’t perform Qurbani yesterday due to the submerged house and streets. The situation has worsened since yesterday, with water levels rising rapidly.”
Sheikh Russell Hassan, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, said, “The flood situation is deteriorating rapidly. The district administration is prepared to handle the flood. We have opened 538 shelters in the district.”
Reports indicate that all low-lying areas of the metropolitan city have been submerged. Notably, Shahjalal Uposhahar is almost entirely underwater, with some homes having waist-deep water on the ground floors.
Several parts of Airport Road, Sylhet-Tamabil Road, and Bangabir Road in South Surma are also underwater.
Earlier, on 27 May, Sylhet experienced flooding due to mountain runoff, affecting about 750,000 people in all upazilas of the district. Before the water from that flood had fully receded, Sylhet was hit by another wave of flooding.
