8 hours Ago
At least four people have died after being swept away by floodwaters, and a woman has been reported missing in Sherpur. The bodies of the four were recovered over the last two days. During this period, flash floods have marooned around 2.
25 lakh people in Sherpur and Mymensingh. The four deceased -- Rahijob Ambia, 45, Idris Ali, 65, and siblings Hatem Ali and Alamgir -- were residents of Sherpur's Nalitabari upazila. Locals said Ambia slipped on a flooded road around 5:00pm on Friday while heading to a shelter with her five-year-old child and was swept away.
About one hour later, her body was recovered from the edge of Baghab village, said Abdus Sabu, chairman of the local union parishad. The child, however, survived by clinging to a tree, Sabu told The Daily Star. Idris was swept away by floodwaters while returning home from a kitchen market around 4:30pm on Friday.
His body was found around half a kilometre away, said Md Masud Rana, upazila nirbahi officer of Nalitabari. The bodies of siblings Hatem and Alamgir, who went missing on Friday, were recovered around half a kilometer away from their home in Abhinagar village of Nalitabari upazila around 6:00pm yesterday, Sanowar Hossain, OC of Nalitabari Police Station, told The Daily Star. Mahua Khatun of Namabatkuchi village has been missing since Friday night, the OC added.
Flash floods have marooned around one lakh people in Sherpur's Sadar, Jhenaigati, Nalitabari and Sreebordi upazilas, according to data of the district administration. "Water entered my home on Friday afternoon, and we are now surviving on dry food," said Achia Khatun, a resident of Ghazirkhamar village under Sherpur Sadar upazila. Aman paddy on around 25,000 hectares and vegetables on around 1,000 hectares have gone under water, affecting more than 65,000 farmers, said the district agriculture office.
"I planted Aman on around six bighas, and now all of it is underwater," said Matin Mia, a farmer from Sherpur Sadar upazila's Ghazaria area. Fish from around 800 ponds have been washed away, according to the upazila fisheries office. Torofdar Mahmudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Sherpur, said they were working to evacuate flood victims and distribute relief.
In Mymensingh, flash floods have stranded over 1.25 lakh people in Dhobaura and Haluaghat upazilas, according to data of the district administration. "My house has been destroyed by floodwaters.
I'm homeless now. I have taken shelter at a relative's home," said Arif Mondol, a farmer from Dakshin Maizpara village. Aman paddy on 4,000 hectares and vegetables on some 300 hectares have been submerged in Dhobaura.
Besides, Aman on 7,600 hectares and vegetables on 38 hectares have been affected by flash floods in Haluaghat, said the local agriculture officers. In Noakhali, eight upazilas were hit by massive flooding in August and September, with many areas still waterlogged. The situation has deteriorated over the last two days due to heavy rain.
A bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre yesterday said the overall flood situation in the low-lying areas of Sherpur, Jamalpur, Netrokona and Mymensingh districts may remain unchanged until 9:00am today. Afruza Sultana, assistant meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, yesterday told The Daily Star that rain might continue across the country until October 12 due to the active monsoon. The rivers in Mymensingh may continue to swell due to heavy rain and onrush of water from upstream, said Md Akhlak Ul Jamil, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Mymensingh.
Rapid rise in the water levels of the Bhogai and the Chellakhali rivers is leading to deterioration of the flood situation, said Md Nakibuzzaman Khan, executive engineer of BWDB in Sherpur. The Bhogai was flowing 51cm above the danger level at Sherpur's Nalitabari at 6:00pm yesterday, while the Chellakhali was 185cm above the danger level at Natkuchi in the same upazila, he added. [Our correspondents from Mymensingh and Jamalpur contributed to this report.
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