Rains wreak havoc on Bangladesh

Several thousand people have been marooned in the suberb of Sylhet town as the area was submerged by rain water.

Torrential rains over the week have triggered flooding, landslide and river erosion leaving at least 110 persons killed in Bangladesh.

A huge population in  the eastern and  northern  part  of the country  have  been marooned as flood situation continued  to worsen  due  to  the  rains  and  the  onrush  of  waters  from  the  hills  beyond  the  borders.

The  current  monsoon bringing  heavy  rains  and early flooding this year  has  also  disrupted road, air and train communications.  Chittagong airport went  under water,  an  important   railway  bridge  collapsed,  many district roads  were inundated and  embankments  collapsed  in  the  affected  areas.

Standing  crops, vegetation,  tea gardens  and  fish farming  have  been  damaged  in  different  districts  bringing  a huge  economic  loss  to  the  country.

Meanwhile, the national parliament  on  Wednesday adopted a condolence motion for the loss of lives and property in three  south-eastern  districts  – Chittagong, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazaar due to heavy downpour and hill slide.

Speaker Abdul Hamid read out the condolence motion and expressed deep shock at the death of people and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved families. He also prayed for early recovery of the injured.

According  to latest  count  on Thursday, at least 110 people have been  killed inChittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban due to landslides, house collapses, drowning and lightning following torrential rains over the past several days.

Of the casualties, 41 were  killed in Cox’s Bazar, 36 in Bandarban, 31 inChittagongand two in Sylhet, according to official information on Thursday.

The Disaster Management and Relief Division of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management in a statement on Wednesday afternoon said each of the families of the deceased was provided Tk 20,000.

The government has also allocated 1,450 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 10 million to feed and help the distressed people.

This June 27 photo shows Army personnel and firemen continuing their hectic search for survivors at Firozshah Colony of Khulshi area of Chittagong after mudslides.

Flight  operation disrupted

Flights to and from Shah Amanat International Airport in the port city of  Chittagong  remained  disrupted  for  36  hours  due to rainwater overflowed the runway.  Flight operations became normal  from Thursday morning as water were pumped  out of  the runway.

Trains from Dhaka and Sylhet  are  now  terminating  at  Sitakunda,  35 km ahead  of  Chittagong railway station as an important  rail bridge was washed away in the surging waters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Army has been engaged to repair the broken bridge.  It would  take  15 days to restore  normal trains service on  the  route, the Communication and Railway Minister Obaidul Quader confirmed.

Thousands marooned by flood

A village at Satkania upazila in Chittagongis inundated. Two rivers were flowing over the normal level Wednesday due to the huge run-off from the hills, flooding many villages.

Heavy rain and onrush of hill water for the last couple of days have worsened flood situation in the tea growing  region of  Sylhet  bordering  Indian  hill states of  Meghalaya,  Assamand Tripura.

Sufferings of Sylhet city dwellers mounted as more residences and main thoroughfares went under flood water.

The flood situation in Gowainghat, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Companiganj and Golapganj upazila of Sylhet worsened as all big and small rivers including Surma and Kushiara crossed their danger marks, officials said.

Road communications of Kanaighat and Gowainghat upazilas with the district headquarters were snapped due to the flood water.

In Jaflong  tea growing  areas,  plantation  workers  had  to be  shifted  to safer  place  due  to  inundation  of their  colonies  while  stone  and  boulder  collecting  business  came  to a halt  in  the  area  leaving  thousand  of  day labourers  jobless.

Gowainghat, Kanaighat and Companiganj sub-district  head-quarters  are now  under 2-3 feet water since Tuesday afternoon. Villagers in the three upazilas became marooned as all the roads went under 3 feet water. Many families took shelter at school buildings.

In the  northern  district  of  Lalmonirhat, more people of low lying villages became marooned as fresh areas went under flood water in the last couple of days. River  erosion  also  left  hundreds  of people  homeless  as  the  major  rivers  of  Brahmmaputra, and  Jamuna  were  flowing  above  their danger  level in  a strong  current and  whirling.

Heavy rainfall and water rushing from hills across the border triggered the flash flood, Lalmonirhat Water Development Board officials said. займ от 3 дней на карту