Noakhali has sunk under water, 2 million people are trapped in water

Noakhali district headquarters has been submerged in water due to continuous heavy rains for several days. District Jame Masjid, court premises, educational institutions, main main roads and market places of the city have all been submerged in water. Not only the city but most of the district was flooded.

Eight out of 9 upazilas of the district have been flooded. About 2 million people in these areas are in trouble due to waterlogging. There is a shortage of clean water and food.

The district recorded 73 mm of rainfall from 6 am to 3 pm on Thursday, the Met office said. Intermittent light to moderate rain, sometimes turning heavy with gusty winds.

Noakhali's Sadar, Kabirhat, Companyganj, Senbagh, Begumganj, Sonaimuri, Chatkhil and Subarnachar upazilas are drowning in flood water. More new areas of Senbagh, Companyganj and Kabirhat upazilas of the district have been flooded due to the inflow of Feni Muhuri river.

It can be seen that around 90% of the people of the 8 upazilas of the district are trapped in water. Each home received 3 to 5 feet of inundation, with low-lying areas containing 6 to 7 feet. Many people stayed on cots till Wednesday night due to water entering the living room, but from Thursday morning they stayed in nearby shelters, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools.

As the tubewells of the flood-affected areas are submerged in water, there is a shortage of fresh water in the affected areas. Most of the people are facing food shortage due to water ingress in living and kitchen areas. Water has entered various government offices in the district town Maijdi. Many necessary documents have been lost. About 80 percent of the roads, including the main roads of the district, have been submerged in several feet of water. Most of the businesses have been closed due to the ingress of flood water. There is very little traffic on the roads.

Noor Nabi of Narottampur Union of Kabirhat Upazila told the media that the continuous rains of the last few days caused waterlogging in various areas. But on Wednesday afternoon, Feni Muhuri dam broke and water entered Noakhali canal through Companyganj and Kabirhat upazilas of Noakhali through Feni Chhoti river. As a result, various upazila floods have occurred.

Meanwhile, in addition to the government assistance, several organizations including voluntary organizations SHBO, Cyber ​​Warriors, Swapna have stood by the people affected by the floods. They have been going to various shelters since Wednesday night and distributing clothes, biscuits, crackers and pure food to the flood affected people.

Munshi Amir Faisal, executive engineer of the District Water Development Board (PAUBO), said that due to the inflow of Muhuri river, the tide in Chota Feni river is 5-6 feet higher than normal. As a result, the flood water cannot go down.

Deputy Director of District Agriculture Extension Department. Meera Rani Das said that there is a danger of heavy losses in the district during the current Aman and Aush season due to this flood. 4 thousand 686 hectares of aman seed beds were submerged in flood water, 26 thousand 900 hectares of cultivated aman were damaged. Apart from this, about 5 thousand 377 hectares of cultivated land has been submerged. The amount of damage cannot be said until the water recedes. In addition to Aman and Aush, there has been extensive damage to vegetables in the flood, which is being assessed.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the Disaster Management Committee was held at the Deputy Commissioner's office on Thursday afternoon. In the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rahman said that most areas of the district have been submerged due to the water of Muhuri river. Meanwhile, 87 areas of the union and municipality have been inundated. About 19 lakh 80 thousand people are trapped in water. 388 shelters have been prepared to take safe shelter in the flood, where about 38 thousand people have already taken shelter.

The Deputy Commissioner also said that Tk 1.4 lakh 65 thousand and 1 lakh 75 thousand metric tons of rice have been handed over to the upazila executive officers of the affected areas to deal with the ongoing flood situation. 35,000 and 625 metric tons of rice have been stored in cash to deal with the next situation. The amount of stock will be increased according to the demand.

Bangladesh /OF