Cry for drinking water

Staff Correspondent: Water and water all around. The courtyard of the house and the surrounding tube wells have sunk. As a result, there has been a cry for fresh water in the flood-affected areas. Relief is going to flood victims from all parts of the country; But not reaching the isolated rural and remote people. As a result, these people are in great difficulty due to water and food crisis. Due to lack of electricity and problem in mobile phone network, their suffering has been compounded.
Meanwhile, the flood situation worsened in Comilla, Noakhali and Lakshmipur. New areas have been flooded. Three deaths were reported in Comilla on Sunday. However, the flood situation has improved in Moulvibazar and Habiganj.
Crying for fresh water
According to the Ministry of Relief and Disaster, 11 districts of the country are now affected by floods. No new district has been affected. Sufficient amount of relief is also going from all over the country. However, the lion’s share of these relief aid is dry food, medicine, food saline and clothing.
The quantity of fresh water is insufficient in comparison. These aids are not reaching the rural and remote areas.
Tubewells in the affected areas are under water for several days. As a result, the flood affected people in the remote areas are faced with severe shortage of food and water.
Kamal Hossain, a resident of Jadaiya area of Laxmipur Sadar Upazila, said, “There is only water and water all around. There is nowhere to go out. There is a shortage of fresh water. I am in extreme suffering with the old parents with children.
Students of a private medical college went to Bharasa area of Comilla’s Burichong with three trucks of relief from Dhanmondi in the capital. They are also in trouble while giving relief. A student named Sujan Ahmed Roni said, ‘It is not possible to go to the village without a boat or speedboat. We didn’t bring a boat. There is no system here. So, I could not provide relief to the flood affected of the remote areas. Those who were in the tent were forced to come out with relief.
Various public and private organizations, voluntary organizations, political parties and individuals who went to provide relief have fallen into such a predicament like those students. Faisal Bhuiyan, a resident of the Burburiya riverbank area of Burichong, who took shelter on the road, said, “All those who are affected by the flood and who are on the bank or in the Danga, give relief to them. Where there is more water, people cannot go there. Many water-bound people are starving. The food we have will last another six days. Still gives us. Village people have no food, no water.
Since yesterday morning, various unions of Burichong affected by flood can be seen, one after another trucks, pickup vans, covered vans, rickshaws, private cars are rushing to help the displaced people. However, they are able to go to remote areas due to lack of navigation. All those areas do not have clean water and sewage system. As a result, the victims have suffered greatly.
The water-logged people of the flooded rural areas of Lakshmipur and Noakhali are also passing the day with food and water shortage. At least 8 lakh people in Lakshmipur are waterlogged.
Local residents and district administration sources said that the people of Lakshmipur have not seen such a flood in 20 years. Somewhere 4 to 6 feet of water. Many have left their homes and are taking shelter in relatives’ houses and various educational institutions and shelters. Many areas have been without electricity since last Friday afternoon. The supply of relief is falling short of the demand. Relief is not reaching the rural and remote areas due to the crisis of shipping. There is a severe shortage of fresh water in all those areas. This has caused extreme humanitarian disaster.
Flood situation worsened further
In other upazilas including Chauddagram of Comilla, the flood situation has improved somewhat, but Nangalkot has deteriorated. Meanwhile, four people, including three students, died in water drowning in this district yesterday.
In 16 unions of Nangalkot upazila, several lakhs of people are now trapped in water. Water is rising in this upazila since yesterday afternoon. Selina Sultana Nishita, a college student of Satbaria area, said, “Satbaria Union is the lowest area of the upazila. Hundreds of thousands of people of this union have been spending days on half-starvation. No relief is forthcoming.
But now the condition of the people of Lakshmipur is similar. The flood situation in the district has further worsened due to overnight rains and floods from Feni and Noakhali. At least 8 lakh people are now water tight. New areas are getting flooded every day. Local residents and district administration sources said that the flood water of Feni and Noakhali has been entering Laxmipur through Rahmatkhali and Dakatiya canals for two days.
Sourav Hossain, official of Ramgati weather warning office in Lakshmipur, said that 70 millimeters of rain has fallen in the last 24 hours. Flooding is worsening. The rain will continue for a few more days. After that the situation will be normal.
Executive Engineer of Lakshmipur Water Development Board. Nahid-uz-Zaman said, “The water has been increasing for two days. Especially in the last 24 hours, the water has risen by 1 foot and in some places by 2 feet. All the doors of the sluice gate of Majuchaudhuri’s hut have been opened.
23 gates of Companyganj’sMuchapur regulator have been opened to release water from Noakhali and Feni. However, the flood water is increasing due to rain. According to District Water Development Board sources, the upstream flow from India’s Tripura flows into the Bay of Bengal through Sandwip Channel through the Muchapur closure gate at the mouth of Chhota Feni river via the transboundary Kakri and Dakatiya rivers. The water of Kakri River flows through Uzirpur and Kashinagar Unions of Chouddagram in Comilla and mixes with Dakatiya. The Dakatiya River originates in the hills of the Indian state of Tripura and enters Bangladesh through Bagsara in Comilla and later flows over Chandpur and Lakshmipur. The river flows through Comilla-Laksam-Chandpur and joins the Meghna.
Munsi Amir Faisal, executive engineer of the Water Development Board, said that in the last 15 hours, 40 millimeters of water has decreased in Noakhali. And in 3 hours the water has decreased by 10 mm. That is, the water is decreasing rapidly. Flooding will improve significantly within 48 hours as rainfall subsides and water recedes through closures.
However, it rained last Saturday night in Feni and Noakhali. Noakhali Meteorological Department official Rafiqul Islam said that 43 millimeters of rain fell in the district from Saturday evening to Sunday 3 pm due to the influence of low pressure.
Improvement in Moulvibazar and Habiganj
Flood situation is improving in Moulvibazar. Water is receding rapidly from the flood-affected areas of Kamalganj, Rajnagar, Kulaura, Juri, Baralekha and Sadar upazilas. However, there is a shortage of food and clean water in the flood-affected areas. Relief materials are being distributed among the flood victims by various public and private organizations. Various hospitals and organizations are conducting free medical camps.
The flood water is also decreasing in Habiganj. Water has already gone down from many houses and roads. The waters of the rivers are flowing below the flood line. Many have started returning home.
Improvement of flood situation in hills
After the flood water receded in Khagrachari, the scars are floating. The road at the mouth of the culvert built on the cane ridge of Sadar Upazila has collapsed. Khagrachari city has lost communication with 30 villages including Betchari, Betchari Mukh, Marmapara, Itchari, Danthakupya. Meanwhile, 16 sluices of the Kaptai lake dam in Rangamati were closed at 8 am yesterday after 6 hours of opening 6 inches. After that, when the water level rose again, in the second round at 7:30 in the evening, the water valves were opened again by 4 inches, said the manager of Kaptai Power Plant, ATM Abduzzaher.