Meghna tidal surge floods over 100 villages as incessant daylong rain batters Lakshmipur
Power supply has been cut off across four coastal upazilas and as a result, mobile networks are down
Highlights
- Over 100 villages flooded in Lakshmipur
- Daylong rain and Meghna tidal surge caused flooding
- Power cut across 4 coastal upazilas; mobile networks down
- Lack of embankments allowed tidal water to inundate homes
- Severe suffering reported by locals; officials urge caution
Due to a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, continuous rainfall battered Lakshmipur from 4am Thursday (29 May) till to 1am Friday (30 May) while under the influence of the new moon (Amavasya), powerful tidal surges from the Meghna River at the same time flooded more than 100 villages in four coastal upazilas of the district.
Meanwhile, power supply has been cut off across these coastal upazilas. As a result, mobile networks are down due to the lack of power at telecom towers.
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On-site visits to several riverside villages along the Meghna revealed the situation firsthand. Locals said tidal water easily entered residential areas due to the absence of protective embankments. Although embankment construction is ongoing, the work is yet to be completed.
In the Nasirganj and Nabiganj areas of the Charmartin Union under Kamalnagar Upazila, it was found that riverside areas remain unprotected. As water levels in the Meghna rise during high tide, water floods into local settlements. Many homes have been left inundated, with water even entering people's houses.
Starting at 2pm on Thursday, tidal water began entering riverside areas and began to recede after 6pm. During this time, the Meghna River was extremely turbulent, and its waves pounded the shore, causing erosion.
Zohra Begum and Rahim Majhi from the Nabiganj area said, "There's knee-deep water inside and outside our house. We're suffering terribly — words can't express it. There was water yesterday [Wednesday] too. It floods twice a day."
Local resident Rahman Biswas said, "Even a slight storm or rain cuts off the power in these riverside areas. Without electricity, there's no mobile network. It's hard to describe how much we suffer."
Kamalnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rahat Uz Zaman said that from Thursday afternoon to evening, he visited several affected areas including Matabbar Haat and Patarirhaat, CharFolcon, Charmartin, Charlorench, Torabgonj, and CharKalkini unions. He confirmed that many areas were inundated by tidal water and urged everyone to remain cautious and alert.
Around 8pm on Thursday, Lakshmipur Water Development Board Executive Engineer Nahid Uz Zaman Khan said the high tides were higher than normal while the river was turbulent due to strong winds. The situation is expected to normalise once the low-pressure system crosses the coast.
