Youth killed in onrush of upstream water; 2 lakh people marooned in Cox’s Bazar
The met office has raised concerns about the risks of landslides due to the ongoing rainfall
A young man was swept away by the currents of the Matamuhuri river in Chakaria while gathering wood from the onrush water this afternoon.
Meanwhile, over two lakh people have been marooned in 15 unions of Cox's Bazar district due to incessant rains and tidal surge.
Around 1pm today, the body of the youth was recovered from the Laksharchar estuary of the river, Chakaria Upazila Chairman Fazlul Karim Sayedee told The Business Standard.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The met office has raised concerns about the risks of landslides due to the ongoing rainfall.
Dulal Chandra Das, monitoring officer at the Cox's Bazar regional meteorological office, said 107 millimetres of rain was recorded in a span of 24 hours from 3pm Sunday to 3pm Monday.
Additionally, 81 millimetres of rain were recorded from 6am to 3pm today, he said.
The official said heavy rainfall is expected to continue for the next three days.
Chakaria Upazila Chairman Fazlul Karim said water from the hills flows through the hilly district and Chakaria via Matamuhuri river.
The onrush of upstream water, heavy rainfall and tidal waves led to the collapse of dams, resulting in widespread inundation across various unions of the upazila, said the chairman.
He went on to say that Kakra, Laksharchar, Bumubil Chari, Surejpur-Manikpur, and Koyarbil are the most affected areas.
Chakaria Upazila Nirbahi Officer JP Dewan said, "The government has initiated initial assistance efforts for the residents of the flooded regions. Affected individuals from these inundated areas are being relocated to shelters for their safety."
Moreover, the issue of erosion persists in underwater zones, including Marine Drive and Cox's Bazar sea beach areas.
The tidal waves continue to erode marine drive, Laboni beach, Sugandha Point, Maheshkhali and Kutubdia upazila.
The authorities have undertaken measures to prevent erosion by creating sand embankments in geo bags along certain sections of Marine Drive, while more erosions have been observed in a few other vulnerable locations.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shahin Imran said more than 50,000 families have been marooned in the district.
He also informed that shelter centres have been opened in every upazila.
"The administration is currently assisting the affected people with the resources allocated so far. However, the specific demands at the upazila level have not yet been determined. Once the demands from the upazila are received, they will be forwarded to the ministry for further action," he added.
