Miseries peak for flood-hit people in Sirajganj, Bogra

The rush of water downstream in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system has continued to play havoc by washing away large chunks of farm lands, 400 homes and at least six educational institutions in five flood-hit upazilas of Sirajganj.
Our Sirajganj correspondent reports that 17 more educational institutions and 2,500 more homes are facing the threat of erosion due to the surging waters.
In Bogra, the swift currents of the Jamuna have eroded 150 metres of flood embankments at Chandanbaisha in Sariakandi and Bhandarbari in Dhunat upazilas in the past one week. Although the flood situation is showing signs of improvement, the miseries of the flood-hit victims remain unabated. Our Bogra correspondent reports that people in the area are living in fear of further floods washing away their homes and lands.
The fury of the Jamuna has washed away at least 2,000 homes and inundated 5,000 acres of farm lands at Roadha, Chandanbaisha, Koiyagari and Boroitola villages, affecting over 10,000 people.
WDB sources said more than 500 homes in Roadha union were claimed by strong river currents, which also tore through parts of the flood protection barrier.
WDB officials said they have taken up rebuilding the eight-km-long collapsed embankment at a cost of Tk. 20 crore in Sariakandi. “We are also trying to stem further erosion by a retreating river by dumping sandbags at the project site,” said WDB deputy divisional engineer Abdul Motaleb.
Meanwhile, the floods that overran vast areas in the north and north-east of the country are going to ease with the falling trend in major river systems, helped by the waning rains since yesterday, sources in the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) and meteorological department said.
The rains slowed down because of a seasonal low brewing up in the west-central Bay of Bengal adjoining the north-west Bay near the Andhra-Orissa coast in neighbouring India.
Until the rains fizzle out over the south-eastern Indian states expectedly by June 20, the monsoon in the northern part of the Bay would not be buoyed further and it would be active again with the rains coming back over Bangladesh on the following day.
There has been a flurry of rains with occasional bursts of heavy showers ever since the monsoon spread over the country on June 11, washing off a spell of heat wave.
The flood situation in the country is expected to improve with the rivers falling down slowly in the next five days with the level of waters in the Brahmaputra and the Ganga coming down, an FFWC official said.
Even the heavy rain-fed Surma spurred by rush of water down the hills across the border is likely to fall, improving the flood situation in Sunamganj, he added.
All the rivers continued to slide down, except the Kansha in Netrokona rose by 2 cm, flowing 55 cm above its danger level (DL). This river is also fed by water from across the border in the Garo Hills.
This year the floods came on early in June instead of the traditional mid-July period when the country’s rivers and their upstream experience heavy rains and the Himalayan glaciers melt to feed the major rivers like the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Explaining this anomaly, the FFWC official said that the heat in the South Asian region has been higher since March and this helped melting of snow in the Himalayas.
Also rains since early this month spurred the Brahmaputra to flow in spate all the way from Arunachal to Assam in India. There had been heavy rains in Assam and Meghalaya in north-eastern India, leading to the swelling of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. The Barak was going into spate due to the swelling of the Surma, causing it to burst its banks in Sunamganj.
Also the rain-swelled Teesta was flowing down to the northern plains of Bangladesh from the Indian state of Sikkim nestled in the Himalayas.
Though the major rivers are in retreat now, but they may again flow in spate with the resumption of rains. The meteorological department has warned that there would be a spell of flash floods in the north-east later in June.

 

Miseries peak for flood-hit people in Sirajganj, Bogra

The rush of water downstream in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system has continued to play havoc by washing away large chunks of farm lands, 400 homes and at least six educational institutions in five flood-hit upazilas of Sirajganj. Our Sirajganj correspondent reports that 17 more educational institutions and 2,500 more homes are facing the threat of erosion due to the surging waters. In Bogra, the swift currents of the Jamuna have eroded 150 metres of flood embankments at Chandanbaisha in Sariakandi and Bhandarbari in Dhunat upazilas in the past one week. Although the flood situation is showing signs of improvement, the miseries of the flood-hit victims remain unabated. Our Bogra correspondent reports that people in the area are living in fear of further floods washing away their homes and lands. The fury of the Jamuna has washed away at least 2,000 homes and inundated 5,000 acres of farm lands at Roadha, Chandanbaisha, Koiyagari and Boroitola villages, affecting over 10,000 people. WDB sources said more than 500 homes in Roadha union were claimed by strong river currents, which also tore through parts of the flood protection barrier. WDB officials said they have taken up rebuilding the eight-km-long collapsed embankment at a cost of Tk. 20 crore in Sariakandi. We are also trying to stem further erosion by a retreating river by dumping sandbags at the project site, said WDB deputy divisional engineer Abdul Motaleb. Meanwhile, the floods that overran vast areas in the north and north-east of the country are going to ease with the falling trend in major river systems, helped by the waning rains since yesterday, sources in the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) and meteorological department said. The rains slowed down because of a seasonal low brewing up in the west-central Bay of Bengal adjoining the north-west Bay near the Andhra-Orissa coast in neighbouring India. Until the rains fizzle out over the south-eastern Indian states expectedly by June 20, the monsoon in the northern part of the Bay would not be buoyed further and it would be active again with the rains coming back over Bangladesh on the following day. There has been a flurry of rains with occasional bursts of heavy showers ever since the monsoon spread over the country on June 11, washing off a spell of heat wave. The flood situation in the country is expected to improve with the rivers falling down slowly in the next five days with the level of waters in the Brahmaputra and the Ganga coming down, an FFWC official said. Even the heavy rain-fed Surma spurred by rush of water down the hills across the border is likely to fall, improving the flood situation in Sunamganj, he added. All the rivers continued to slide down, except the Kansha in Netrokona rose by 2 cm, flowing 55 cm above its danger level (DL). This river is also fed by water from across the border in the Garo Hills. This year the floods came on early in June instead of the traditional mid-July period when the countrys rivers and their upstream experience heavy rains and the Himalayan glaciers melt to feed the major rivers like the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Explaining this anomaly, the FFWC official said that the heat in the South Asian region has been higher since March and this helped melting of snow in the Himalayas. Also rains since early this month spurred the Brahmaputra to flow in spate all the way from Arunachal to Assam in India. There had been heavy rains in Assam and Meghalaya in north-eastern India, leading to the swelling of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. The Barak was going into spate due to the swelling of the Surma, causing it to burst its banks in Sunamganj. Also the rain-swelled Teesta was flowing down to the northern plains of Bangladesh from the Indian state of Sikkim nestled in the Himalayas. Though the major rivers are in retreat now, but they may again flow in spate with the resumption of rains. The meteorological department has warned that there would be a spell of flash floods in the north-east later in June.