Flood water recedes in Sylhet, sufferings turn acute

As the flood water recedes in Sylhet, the scars it leaves behind in the last twelve days are becoming more evident. However, most of the areas are still under water as the flow back of floodwater has been relatively slow.

People displaced by the devastating flood have started to return home where most of the things have been damaged.

Meanwhile, a foul smell appeared in Sylhet and Sunamganj, after the decline in water level, with piles of rubbish scattered in different parts of the towns.

Debabrata Chowdhury Liton, a resident of Mirzajangal area of the city, told TBS that all his furniture was damaged due to staying under water for the last 10 days.

"I have come here today to clean the house but it is being difficult to stay inside due to the putrid smell all around," he said.

Nur Azizur Rahman, chief engineer of Sylhet City Corporation, told The Business Standard that the city corporation has plans to conduct a cleanup operation in the entire city as soon as the water goes down.

"We would require a big amount of bleaching power for which the ministry has been informed," he noted.

According to Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the water level of River Surma has dropped by 4-5cm at different points till Sunday noon. Meanwhile, in River Kushiyara, a 1-2cm decline in water level has been reported.

On the other hand, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Lusikanta Hajong told TBS that the stubborn floodwater remained the same in the upazila.

"The water here has not gone down even by one centimetre leading to increased suffering of the people. As a result, our rehabilitation initiatives are also being delayed," he added. 

Deaths rise to 42

The number of people suffering from various diseases and deaths due to floods rose to 42 till date.

A report by the Health Emergency Operations Center and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the deaths were due to diarrhea, snake bites, drowning and injuries.

According to the Department of Health, the number of people infected with various water-borne diseases has also increased to 3,403.

Of the casualties, six deaths and 481 infections were reported in the last 24 hours.

A total of 1,976 medical teams are working in the flood-hit four divisions, said DGHS.

Massive loss of livestock

According to the Sylhet Divisional Office of the Department of Livestock, 3,189 cattle have died in the district so far, with 710 farms completely submerged.

Moreover, 1,991 tonnes of straw and 2,959 tonnes of grass were washed away.

In all, the loss of livestock in the district so far was Tk11 crore 65 lakh 44 thousand taka.

Companiganj upazila seems the most affected, but the data for it is still not available as the Upazila Parishad building is inundated and there is no electricity or mobile network.

The loss in the agriculture sector is estimated to be a whopping Tk500 crore.