Heavy to very heavy rain in the south-eastern hill basins triggered landslides in Bandarban yesterday (Thursday). A two-and-half year-old child, Sajid, was killed and five, including the mother and grandmother, injured when their hut below a hill in the new Gulshan area of Bandarban town collapsed due to incessant rain over the past few days. Local residents, along with members of the Fire Service, police and the Army, rescued the injured from the debris and extricated the body of the child.
The Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers are in spate, engulfing homes and croplands in the district’s low-lying areas. As the rain continued, the district administration urged people over the public address system to evacuate their homes in the hills to avert further danger. A Tk. 25,000 grant was announced for people affected by the landslides.
Below the hills in Fulgazi upazila of Feni district, a swollen Muhuri river overflowed its banks, tearing through its embankments and flooding 10 villages, a police station and a bazar, trapping thousands for the second time after the flash floods of July 27.
Abdur Rahim Patwary, acting chairman of Fulgazi Union Parsihad, told The Independent that the afternoon flash floods sweeping homes, fish enclosures and croplands left thousands of people marooned.
The swollen Muhuri in Uttar Daulatpur of Fulgazi continued to flow 90cm-100cm above the fish enclosures, running over standing crops, aman seed beds in Shapur village, Uttar Daulatpur village, Jakatpur village, south Daulatpur and Fulgazi Bazar.
Mahidur Rahman, upazila nirbhai officer of Fulgazi, said nearly 30,000 people have been affected. Some people have moved to safer places after their homes were washed away. Executive engineer Ramzan Ali Pramanik told The Independent that the administration is ready to plug the breaches, but the water from the hills cut through the embankment near Joypur as the water was flowing above the danger level.