Suffering intensifies as worsening floods cut Sylhet off
Authorities concerned have also disconnected gas supply in some flood-hit areas
The suffering of the flood-affected people in the country's northeastern region has mounted with a further deterioration in the flood situation that left over 30 lakh people marooned in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts until Saturday.
With road communication collapsed, and rail and air communications suspended, the entire Sylhet division is now literally disconnected from the rest of the country.
As flood water entered Kumargaon grid power substation in Sylhet – which supplies power to Sylhet and Sunamganj, the authorities suspended power supply to the two districts on Saturday at 12.15pm, leaving millions in darkness.
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After around five hours of efforts to pump out the water from the facility, the authorities, however, managed to restore the power supply partially, said Mohammad Abdul Qadir, chief engineer of Sylhet Power Development Board.
Authorities concerned have also disconnected gas supply in some flood-hit areas.
Having little scope to cook food with stocks of dry food drying out fast and no access to safe drinking water, the flood-hit people are badly in need of immediate relief goods.
The flood has also disrupted the networks of different telecom operators and internet services, adding to the suffering of the affected people.
Meanwhile, medical services at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet have been disrupted due to a power cut after flood water entered the hospital premises.
Services at the hospital's surgery department and intensive care unit (ICU) are being hampered because of the power outage.
Shishir Chakrabarti, vice-principal of Osmani Medical College told The Business Standard that as the power supply was cut off and that water entered the generator room, they were trying to keep the power supply to the ICU, and the operation theaters unhindered with the help of an alternative generator.
Local administrations have opened a number of shelter homes in the two districts which have become overcrowded. The inmates of the shelter homes are now crying for food, pure drinking water, and fodder.
Arifa Akhter, a resident of the Chharar Par area of Sylhet city who has now taken shelter in Durgakumar Primary School, told TBS, "We have been staying in this shelter for two days, but no one has yet come with food assistance. Also, there is no arrangement for cooking here. So, we are passing our time with our children in untold misery."
Meanwhile, at least 17 people have died across the country since Friday due to lightning strikes, floods, and landslides caused by torrential rain and thunderstorms.
Of them, 12 were killed by lightning strikes – the highest single-day casualties from lightning strikes this year, according to the police. Besides, four were killed by landslides, and one other was by electrocution.
Rescue operation
Members of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, local public representatives along with volunteers have been running rescue operations since Saturday to save those stranded in remote areas.
However, many in Companiganj have complained that no one from the administration has offered aid and they were unable to establish contact with them.
Responding to such allegations, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Lusikanta Hajong said that the road communication of Companiganj with Sylhet has collapsed due to flood waters.
"Even the mobile phone network is not working properly."
"As a part of the rescue operation, tall buildings in the upazila are being used as shelters and the administration is working to provide emergency food aid to the victims," he added.
When contacted, Sylhet Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Mojibur Rahman said that the UNOs in Companiganj and Gowainghat have been asked to buy boats in order to conduct rescue operations in the waterlogged areas.
"They have also been allocated a budget for this reason," the DC added.
The unprecedented flood has inundated 80% area of Sylhet district and 90% area of Sunamganj, according to Flood Forecast and Warning Centre.
Executive Engineer of Flood Forecast and Warning Centre, Arifuzzaman Bhuiya, said this is the first time that 80% of Sylhet district have gone under water and the flood situation may turn worse further as the meteorologists predict heavy showers on Saturday and Sunday.
Situation in Sylhet city
Many residents of Sylhet city were seen making concrete walls with bricks and cement at the entrances of their houses to protect them from flood water.
The low-lying areas of the city have been submerged by flood water. People were seen wading through the knee-to-waist deep water.
Bimal Das, a resident of the Kashtoghar area of the city, told TBS, "As our house got inundated, I along with my family moved to a relative's house in the city's Dariapara. But, my relative's house also went under water Saturday, forcing us to shift to shelter centre."
Situation in other districts
The low-lying areas in Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts under Sylhet division have been flooded as major rivers keep rising.
According to the Water Development Board, many rivers were flowing above the danger levels at many points on Saturday evening.
The water of the River Surma was flowing 128 centimetres above its danger mark at Kanaighat point, 77cm up at Sylhet point, 120cm above at Sunamganj point at 6am on Saturday while the Sari River was flowing 67cm above its red mark at the same time.
The water level of the River Kurishara also increased and the Jadukata River in Sunamganj district was also flowing above its danger level.
Because of incessant rains for the past couple of days and an onrush of upstream water, flood situations also worsened in Netrokona, Sherpur, Mymensingh, and Brahmanbaria districts, with new areas going under water Saturday.
A rail bridge collapsed in Netrokona's Mohanganj upazila in flood water, suspending the communication with the rest of the country.
Bridge No 34 in the Islampur area, located in the middle of Mohanganj and Atitpur rail station, collapsed Friday night, Golam Rabbani, the Barhatta railway station master, confirmed.
Due to this, two trains are now stuck at Mohanganj and Barhatta stations, he added.
Meanwhile, floods have split a road into two at Ariyal village adjacent to Colonel Bazar in Moniyanda union of Akhaura upazila in Brahmanbaria. As a result, the area has been disconnected from the rest of the country.
Over 500 people of three unions – Dakshin Maijpara, Ghoshgaon, and Purakandulia – in Mymensingh have been freshly marooned.
Making matters worse, an embankment on the River Netai has collapsed because of the continuous rain.
Chairman of Dakshin Maijpara UP Humayun Sarkar said the flood situation in the area started worsening on Friday.
"The homes and valuables of people are being swept away by the onrush of water. We are collecting information about the victims," he added.
Skyrocketing boat prices, fares disrupt rescue work
As thousands of flood victims are waiting to be rescued, they have been hit hard by the soaring price and fare of watercraft in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
Boat fare that is usually Tk100, is now being charged TK10,000. In some places, people are unable to find boats even after being willing to pay the excessive amount.
Moreover, local rowboats (dinghy) are being sold at six times higher than the usual price.
Nihal Ahmed, a resident of Bholaganj in Companiganj upazila, told The Business Standard that he was forced to buy a Tk3,000 worth dinghy with Tk18,000 after being unable to manage any water transport to move his family to safety.
People staying outside desperate to contact their dear ones stranded by flood
Prapti Tapashi from Sunamganj, who is studying at Jahangirnagar University, in a write-up sent to TBS Saturday described how people who are staying outside of the flood-hit areas but have their kith and kin are stranded by the flood are growing restless without being able to contact them because of disrupted telecom networks.
"I never imagined that the water would rise so fast. Even on Thursday noon, I heard that flood water rose to the shoreline of the pond on our homestead. By 8 o'clock at night, the water entered our rooms. At about 3am, I heard that the rooms went under waist-deep water and that someone was coming to our house with a boat. Two hours later, I heard that the boat was stuck somewhere. My parents were trapped in the middle of the house, and the boat was not coming!"
In that situation, the mobile phone network was cut off, Prapti said, adding, "There was no mobile network or electricity anywhere in Sunamganj. I cannot explain how I was passing those hours. I counted every minute with tremendous restlessness, and just thought about what could happen. All through the time, I was trying to contact my family over the phone, but in vain as there was no network, and electricity."
"That was the worst morning of my life. All of us who are out of Sunamganj were in the same terrible situation then."
Prapti said she could make contact with her family later in the morning and was reassured by hearing that they were safe. But, many of her friends, seniors, and juniors from Sunamganj had not been able to communicate with anyone in their native homes for the past two days, she added.
"From last night till now, many of my friends are calling on the cell phone numbers of their family in the flood-hit areas every minute only to hear the voices of their dear ones, but are not getting any news."
Worst is yet to come!
The world's leading weather forecast models have indicated the possibility of further deterioration of the ongoing flood situation in the Sylhet division in the next three days due to increased rainfall.
As per the latest data from international weather forecast models, about 600-1,100mm of rain is expected in the next three days in the mountainous region of Meghalaya bordering Sylhet and Sunamganj districts.
"These weather forecasting models can provide data with up to 80-90% accuracy for up to three days," said Mostafa Kamal Polash, a PhD researcher on weather and climate at Saskatchewan University in Canada.
There is a possibility of 600 millimetre of rain in the next three days according to the European Union (EU) model, about 500mm of rain according to the US model, and about 1,100mm of rain according to the UK model, he said.
Polash also warned that in the next three days, 400 to 600mm of rain is expected in the River Brahmaputra basin in the Indian state of Assam.
"As a result, there is a strong possibility of floods in the districts along the Teesta and Jamuna rivers by next Sunday," he added.
Meanwhile, Ainun Nishat, river and water expert, and former vice-chancellor of BRAC University, at a seminar organised by the Awami League's Information and Research Subcommittee yesterday said the water level in the River Surma would surge by another 5-6 feet – the highest level in history – in the next 5-7 days.
