All of Sylhet under water, nearly 10 lakh people marooned
Floods have invaded more areas in the eastern district of Sylhet with water invading all upazilas, leaving nearly 10 lakh people trapped, according to district officials.
At least 130 out of 153 municipalities and unions have been flooded, Assistant Commissioner of Sylhet district administration Md Omar Sani said on Thursday (19 June).
He added that 698 shelters have been prepared, with 21,700 people taking refuge in 361 of them.
However, water levels in the city and rivers have not decreased slightly as there was no rain on Thursday.
According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, 55 millimetres of rain fell between 6am and 9am on Wednesday (19 June), with an additional 20 millimetres recorded between 6am and noon on Thursday.
Shah Md Sajib, assistant meteorologist at the Sylhet Meteorological Office, noted that heavy rain is expected in the next two days as there are still clouds in the sky.
Meanwhile, visiting the district on the day, State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk Shamim said, “Sylhet is experiencing frequent flooding due to the Surma River being silted up. It will be dredged soon.”
“Nine dredging stations are being established across the country to manage river erosion and silt removal regularly”, he added.
Food shortage, health services disruption
Jafrul Haque, a resident of Companiganj, said, “The water didn’t rise today as the downpour stopped, but our homes are still submerged up to the throat. It will take a long time for the water to recede.”
“We have taken shelter at a relief centre, but there is a shortage of cooked food, so we are surviving on dry food”, he added.
Companiganj upazila administration reported that water has infiltrated the upazila parishad office and health complex as well, disrupting services.
The Water Development Board reported that at 6am, the water level of the Kushiyara River at Amalsid Point was 16.27 cm, dropping to 16.26 cm by 11am.
The Surma River at Kanaighat Point was at 13.59 cm at 6am and 13.55 cm at 11am, both below the danger level of 12.75 cm.
At Sylhet Point, the Surma River was at 11.14 cm at 6am and 11.07 cm at 11 am, with the danger level being 10.80 cm.
