Continuous heavy rainfall and the onrush of water from upstream over the past three days have left Sylhet district inundated, with more than 8 lakh people stranded.
“Around 825,256 people are marooned in 106 unions of the district,” Sylhet district administration sources said on Wednesday afternoon.
In the metropolitan area alone, 50,000 people across 23 wards have been affected by flooding.
Due to the incessant rains, the flood situation in Sylhet has worsened for the second time in just 20 days.
Sylhet experienced the first phase of flooding on May 27, affecting approximately 700,000 people across all upazilas. The water had not fully receded when heavy rainfall and hill torrents hit again on June 15, worsening the situation by Eid day (June 17).
As of Wednesday afternoon, the waters of three rivers in Sylhet are flowing over the danger level at six points.
The Water Development Board in Sylhet reported that by 3 pm today, the Surma River at Kanaighat point was 94 cm above danger levels. At another point in Sylhet, it was 36 cm above the danger level. The Kushiyara River was 56 cm above the danger level at Amalshid, 99 cm above Fenchuganj, and 20 cm above Sherpur Point.
Additionally, the water of the Sari-Gwain River is flowing 0.5 cm above the danger level at Sarighat Point.
A total of 656 shelter centers have been opened in the district to accommodate the people. Of these, 80 are in metropolitan areas.
In the meantime, a total of 19,959 people has already taken shelter in these centers. However, most people are not willing to leave their homes and go to shelters.
The people of Sylhet Sadar, Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Golapganj, Companiganj, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Biswanath, and Osmaninagar upazilas are the worst sufferers.
Low-lying areas of the city are particularly hard-hit, with the Shahjalal suburb completely submerged and water reaching neck level in many homes. Other severely affected areas include Jatrapur, Mendibagh, Shibganj, Raingar, Sobhanighat, Kalighat, Kamalgarh, Machimpur, Taltala, Jamtola, Kajirbazar, Madina Market, Akhaliya, and Mezortil.
Several important roads in the city are also flooded.
Moreover, the local Met Office forecasts continuous heavy rainfall for the next three days. If this situation continues, the flood situation will further deteriorate.
Meanwhile, control rooms have been set up in the office of the District Commissioner and the offices of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer to monitor the overall flood situation.
