The government has deployed armed forces in Sylhet and Sunamganj to expedite rescue and relief efforts, as floods wreak havoc in the region.
“The main challenge is to rescue people and bring them to safety. The army is working alongside the local government in rescue operations,” Divisional Commissioner Muhammad Mosharrof Hossain told The News Times.
He said the army personnel have already begun work in Sylhet and will start work in Sunamganj soon.
The Sylhet region is suffering from its third round of floods this year as heavy rain in India’s Meghalaya and Assam flows downstream.
Nearly all one-storey houses in Sunamganj town are flooded. The Sadar, Dowarabazar, Chatak, Biswambharpur, Tahirpur, South Sunamganj, Jamalganj and Jagannatpur upazilas are all experiencing flooding as well.
Meanwhile, local officials feared the floods in Sylhet may lead to cut in power supply, as the Kumargaon 132/33 KV grid substation, which supplies electricity to the whole of Sylhet, is on the verge of shut down.
Suranjit Singh, engineer of Kumargaon 132/33 KV grid substation said, water has already entered the switchyard of the substation.
“It will not take long for water to enter the control room if it keeps raining like this. This grid substation must be shut down if water enters the control room.” The shutdown of the grid will cut off power throughout Sylhet, he added.
Floodwater has also entered the Chatak and Sunamganj power grid substations, forcing the Ministry of Power to take them offline for safety, according to officials concerned. This has cut off power to the area.
The Power Development Board (PDB) in Sylhet has alerted the customers about safety of lives and property in the flood-hit areas.
Shams-e Arefin, executive engineer of the PDB Sales and Distribution Division-2, on Thursday said the flash floods inundated Sobhanighat, Mendibagh, Muradpur and surrounding areas. For the safety of the lives and property of the power consumers, it has been warned not to touch electric wires, poles or electric components in the flood water, he added.
Sylhet’s MAG Osmani International Airport has been closed for flights operation for three days from Friday due to the deteriorating flood situation in the region, said Hafiz Ahmed, manager of the airport. The notice was issued as the flood water reached close to the runway, he added.
The water is rising in Sylhet city. Most parts of the Companyganj, Goainghat, Kanaighat, Jayantapur and Sadar upazilas are also inundated.
Nadar Bakht, the Sunamganj municipal mayor, says there are few shelters available as water floods the city’s roads and homes.
“The entire city is inundated. People are stranded at home. We are doing our best to rescue them. We need many boats right now.”
Local volunteers are trying to help flood victims and have also called on the army for support.
Many educational institutions in the area have flooded, while others are being used for shelter. This has forced the government to suspend SSC and equivalent public exams across the country. The exams were to start on Sunday.
The Surma was flowing 108 cm, 70 cm and 120 cm above the danger level at the Kanaighat, Sylhet and Sunamganj points respectively at 9 am on Friday, the BWDB’s Flood Forecast and Warning Centre said.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall was also predicted for the northern and northeast parts of Bangladesh and the adjoining Assam, Meghalaya and Himalayan foothills of India’s West Bengal in the next 72 hours.
The flood situation may worsen further in Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona in the next 24 hours. The Teesta River could overflow the danger level by then. Low-lying areas in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Kurigram may also flood due to the rains.
The water level will continue to surge in all major rivers in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganga-Padma basins, including the Surma, Kushiyara, Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar in the next 48 hours.
