Devastating flash floods swept through four eastern and southeastern districts on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded in scores of villages after some rivers swelled up to over 4 metre overnight amidst persistent heavy rain and onrush of water from the upstream. The flash flood washed away hundreds of fish enclosures and poultry farms, submerged seedbeds on several thousand acres, caused numerous breaches in flood protection embankments and forced authorities to suspend activities at many government offices.
The upazila health complex of Chouddagram in Cumilla released all its patients after water entered the hospital making it impossible for the hospital authorities to continue providing health services. Heavy rains have continued, especially along south-east and eastern Bangladesh and their adjacent upstream areas across the border in India over the last four days.
In a fresh warning issued for 48 hours on Tuesday morning, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said that heavy rainfall might continue in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, potentially triggering landslides. ‘Almost the entire Noakhali district is affected by the flash flood,’ said Nur Uddin Md Jahangir, district education officer, Noakhali, citing reports of the suspension of classes at educational institutions in almost all over the districts because of the flash flood.
New Age correspondent in Noakhali reported that hundreds of thousands of inhabitants were stranded after flash flood inundated all nine upazilas in the district, submerging houses, roads, government offices and educational institutions. At least 20 lakh people were stranded in flood water.
‘We are wading through knee-high water,’ said Shahid Ullah, a resident of Kabirhat upazila. He feared slow recession of water because of obstruction created in the natural way of water by the construction of fish enclosures and infrastructures, including houses.
Most of the agricultural land in Subarnachar went under water. In the 24 hours until 6:00pm, 131mm rainfall was recorded in Mazidi Court, according to the BMD. New Age correspondent in Lakshmipur reported that over 1,000 hectares of aman seedbed was completely ruined in the flash flood. The affected aman seedbed accounted for a fifth of areas where aman seed was grown in the district this year.
Aush rice cultivated in nearly 600 hecatres was destroyed by the flash flood in the district. Abdus Salam, a farmer in Lakshmipur, said that they were already a month late in planting aman. Farmers were seen uprooting their aman seedlings and placing them to higher grounds in an effort to save them from being completely rotten. Saiful Islam, a resident of Ramganj, said that all of his 20 ponds where he farmed fish were washed away by the flash flood.
New Age correspondent in Feni reported that water entered through 26 breaches created early this month in the protection embankment along Muhuri-Kahua-Silonia rivers. At least 80 villages have been flooded by the water gushing through the embankment. The Muhuri River was flowing 63cm above its danger mark at 9:00am, said the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, adding that the river swelled by 418cm in the last 24 hours. Of the affected villages, 45 are located in Parshuram and 35 are in Fulgazi upazilas.
The floodwater severed regional road connectivity. At least 4,000 families are stranded in flooded villages. ‘This is the third flash flood to hit the district in last one and a half months,’ said Abdur Rahman, a resident of Dakshin Shaldhor village in Parshuram. Severe waterlogging also hit towns in the districts. New Age correspondent in Cumilla reported that 50,000 people became stranded in Cumilla’s Chauddagram because of flash flood. A total of 13 unions of the upazila and its municipality town have been affected. Flood water entered the upazila parishad and the upazila health complex premises. Flood water also washed away numerous fish farms and many poultry farms. Regional road connectivity is shut as road stretches are washed away by flood water. Upazila health officer Golam Kibria said, ‘Due to the sudden flood, chest-high water entered the health complex. Health services are closed due to increased water availability in emergency and outpatient departments.’
Water also entered the X-ray and EPI vaccination rooms. In the 24 hours until 6:00pm, Bangladesh’s maximum rainfall of 221mm was recorded in Sylhet. The ongoing wet spell is triggered by a low over the Bay of Bengal. India Meteorological Department reported extremely heavy rainfall in upstream areas such as Tripura where up to 380mm of rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours until 8:30pm. In Meghalaya up to 350mm of rainfall was recorded. The IMD predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Bangladesh’s upstream through August 25.