Shelters of starvation dot Sylhet city as flood creeps towards centre

Liton Mia, a resident of Chharrapar area, was drenched. He had just swam from the shelter at Durgakumar Primary School in Sylhet to his home nearby in search of food. 

He and his children had not eaten in almost three days.

"On Friday, some people came with cooked food. But that was it. We did not get anything to eat after that. There is no way of cooking here," he said. 

"We can go without food but my children want to eat. So, I went home to salvage some food."

Back at home, he was relieved to see that although his residence was submerged, the stove had managed to stay above the waters.

Mohammad Ali, who was also seeking refuge in school, said he, too, had not eaten in three day as no government relief had arrived. Some people had brought cooked food on their own initiative, but those could not be stored.

"It has to be eaten at once. And then you have to go without food," he said.

Elsewhere in Mansingar Government Primary School in Sylhet Sadar, Sharifa Begum was awaiting food. "I could not bring any pots or pans from home. So far no one has brought any relief, so we are all suffering a lot."

She said residents of the area had come with food once or twice, but there were too many mouths to feed and little to go around.

This same situation – an acute food crisis – could be seen in most shelters around Sylhet.

Many of the flood-affected people said no government relief had reached the city, although they heard it was being distributed outside it. Even in areas where relief had reached, victims said those were not enough.

To fill the gaps, individuals and various non-governmental organisations have stepped in.

According to the Sylhet City Corporation, about 6,000 people are staying in 56 shelters in the city.

The race against time is felt more acutely in remote areas, where the district said they haven't been able to reach due to lack of boats and other watercraft.

As per Sylhet district administration, there are currently 497 shelters, housing 2,31,000 people and 31,000 thousand cattle.

Askar Mia, of Charighat area of ​​Jaintapur, has brought along his two cows to one such shelter. "We were given some food which we gave to the cows, but they aren't eating those. They haven't eaten in almost three days," he said.

Ruhul Alam, executive engineer, also serving as a shelter in-charge, said relief distribution had started in the shelters from Monday. "We have received 20 tonnes of rice from the government and some packaged food. We have begun distributing those."

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Mojibur Rahman also said councillors will begin distributing food on their own initiative to shelters, adding that so far 612 tonnes of rice, 8,000 packets of food and Tk3.50 lakhs have been distributed in the district so far.

"We are doing our utmost to rescue and assist the flood-affected people. The army is also helping in this case. However, due to the boat crisis and connection to some areas being snapped, it isn't possible to reach remote corners. But we do not lack sincerity or effort."

Osmani Airport closed, power supply returning to normalcy

Even though the water receded from the runway, Sylhet Osmani International Airport has suspended flights for the next few days due as the approach lighting system is still submerged. 

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali, visiting the spot, made the announcement and said, "We will try to open this airport as soon as possible. But if the water does not come down, we have nothing to do. 

Meanwhile, the power supply is gradually returning to normal in Sylhet as a main sub-centre of the grid line which had been submerged has now been declared risk-free.

Surma water decreasing, Kushiyara swelling

The water level of the river Surma in Sylhet started to fall, river Kushiyara is still swelling up, due to which new areas are expected to go underwater in the next 24 hours.

Several upazilas and cities in the region are still inundated with floodwater, and many houses remain flooded, especially those in the low-lying areas.

"Floodwater may enter some new areas in Fenchuganj upazila. However, it will not be anything serious," said Niloy Pasha, deputy assistant engineer at BWDB's Sylhet office.

Photo: TBS

Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Lusikanta Hajong said, "The flood situation in Companiganj has improved to some extent. The water level has started to go down slowly."

When asked about the scale of the damage caused by the flood, the UNO said the real picture will be known after all the water recedes.

Apart from Companiganj, the flood situation in Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Kanaighat, Bishwanath and Sylhet Sadar upazilas has also improved, helped by no rainfall on Monday.

Habiganj bracing for flood blow

The overall flood situation in Habiganj deteriorated as water entered about 1,000 villages of 34 unions in four upazilas of the district. 

The district administration warned locals that the dams may be breached at any moment.

Meanwhile, new areas in Nabiganj and Ajmiriganj upazilas are being flooded due to rising water level of Kushiyara River.

Lutfur Mia, a boatman from Lakhai Swajan village, said several villages in Lakhai union have remained submerged for the past one week. 

He said flood victims were selling their paddies for Tk200-300 less than the market price, adding he had never seen so much water since the 2004 floods.

According to government estimates, more than half a million people from 15,200 families in the four upazilas have been stranded so far, while unofficial estimates are citing double that figure.

Jamuna swells in Sirajganj

The swelling Jamuna River is wreaking havoc on one low-lying area after the other in Sirajganj.

River erosion has started in the char areas of Belkuchi, Kazipur, Chauhali, Enayetpur and Shahjadpur of the district. 

The Water Development Board is trying to control the erosion by using geobags, some 40,000 of which have already been placed. 

As water has entered homes, many have left for safer areas or stationed themselves in high embankments and under-construction buildings. 

District Relief Officer Akhtar Zaman said 911 metric tonnes of rice, Tk20 lakh in cash and 4,000 packets of dry food had already been allocated for the flood victims. 

A list of victims has been sought from the Upazila Nirbahi Officers of their respective areas for distribution. 

Meanwhile, the Brahmaputra was also flowing above the danger level at different points in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, inundating different low-lying and char areas Monday morning.

In Kurigram, about 250,000 people of more than 200 chars in 49 unions have been marooned. Rowmari upazila is the worst-hit area as 100,000 people have been stranded there.

Our correspondents in Sirajganj and Habiganj contributed to this report.