After more than a week of relentless downpours, rains somewhat eased in Chattogram region yesterday, slowly revealing the scale of the devastation as flood‑hit families start returning to damaged homes, ruined farmland, and battered businesses.
Many, who have returned home or are still in shelters, are struggling to find food and drinking water.
Meanwhile, government officials say they are continuing relief operations.
People displaced by heavy rains and landslide risks in Rangamati are expected to return home within the next two to three days, although rehabilitation will remain the government’s biggest challenge, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit yesterday at a programme in Rangamati.
Around 96mm rainfall was recorded in 24 hours ending 6:00pm yesterday evening in Chattogram, said Suman Saha, a meteorologist from the local weather office. It was recorded at 160mm the day before.
In Chattogram, the sky cleared, allowing the sun to shine yesterday afternoon after eight days, yet Samir Das’s expression remained profoundly gloomy.
“Although water has receded from our home, the house has been damaged severely,” said Samir, a resident of Das Bari area under Banshkhali upazila.
The situation is almost similar for thousands of flood-hit people in this region. However, many areas are still submerged.
The home of Abdur Rahim in Bagmara village under Banshkhali upazila has collapsed. “My eight-member family was forced to take refuge on the coastal embankment on Friday,” said Rahim, who received no relief materials.
“I’ve lost everything, including the seedbeds on half a bigha of my land that I worked so hard to prepare,” he said.
Poultry farm owner, Kutub Uddin, of Kokdandi village in Banshkhali, said, “My 2,000 broiler fowls died. I’m ruined. No one from the government has come to see the damages.”
A total of 1,184 tonnes of rice and Tk 1.75 crore in cash assistance have been allocated, according to the Chattogram Divisional Commissioner’s office.
The Chattogram Palli Bidyut Samity-1 said approximately 10,000 customers in Banshkhali and Satkania upazilas still don’t have power, and it will take a few more days to restore electricity supply.
Many people cannot pump groundwater for drinking, as they have no power.
Chattogram Civil Surgeon Jahangir Alam said a good number of medical teams are working in the flood-hit areas.
According to the Chattogram District Fisheries Office, the floods inundated 12,251 water bodies across the district, including 320 commercial fish farms, inflicting a direct financial loss of Tk 109.23 crore on local fish farmers.
The Chattogram District Livestock Office reported heavy losses of livestock and commercial poultry. It estimated a direct asset loss of Tk 2.87 crore and a total structural and feed sector damage of Tk 28.17 crore.
In Cox’s Bazar, floodwaters have started receding as rains eased after eight consecutive days of heavy downpours.
However, the suffering is far from over, as many families returning to their homes are finding extensive damage left behind by the flood.
Nur Mohammad, a resident of Lakkhyarchar in Chakaria upazila, said his family had fled after floodwater rose to neck level inside their home.
“We returned after three days and found everything destroyed. Our furniture, important documents, rice and paddy were soaked. How will we start over?” he said.
In Bandarban, the water levels of the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers have fallen below the danger mark, and floodwaters are gradually receding across Bandarban.
Apu Dev, executive engineer of the Water Development Board in Bandarban, said, “If the rains stop, the water levels are expected to continue falling.”
Residents who remained stranded for five days have started returning home, only to find houses and shops coated in thick mud and with furniture, food, and household belongings ruined.
Md Jasim Uddin, a resident of Memberpara in Bandarban municipality, said, “We have been stranded for five days. The water started receding on Sunday. The suffering was immense then, but now it feels even worse. Mud and filth are everywhere. It will take many days to clean and repair our homes.”
In Rangamati, the road connectivity between Baghaichhari upazila and the rest of the country has remained suspended for five days after a portion of the Marisha-Dighinala road collapsed on Thursday. The road is under the jurisdiction of Roads and Highways Department (RHD).
Contacted, Priyo Darshi Chakma, sub-assistant engineer at the RHD in Khagrachhari, said, “We cannot start repairing the road due to rain. We will begin the task after the rain stops. But it is uncertain how many days it may take to restore communication there.”
Officials from the local weather office said rain may ease further today.
Meanwhile, in the country’s northeastern region, the Surma and Kushiyara rivers were flowing above the danger level, inundating vast low-lying areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), the Kushiyara river was flowing 27cm above the danger level at the Fenchuganj point in Sylhet at 3:00pm yesterday.
At the same time, the Surma was flowing 15cm above the danger level in Sunamganj’s Chhatak upazila.
The FFWC yesterday stated that the flood situation in the Surma and the Kushiyara plains might worsen in the next two days.
In Habiganj, although floodwaters have receded from most parts of Sadar upazila, thousands of flood-hit people are still suffering due to a lack of food, clean water, and damaged infrastructure.
Rabeya Khatun, a resident of Bidhabak village, said she has been forced to live on the streets with little access to food and medicine.
In Moulvibazar’s Kamalganj, receding floodwaters revealed mud and filth in many homes, on courtyards and roads.
Shahed Ahmed of the Makhabil area alleged that relief was not reaching everyone equally. “Relief is coming, but not everyone is getting it. Relief is being distributed selectively to familiar faces.”
In Cumilla, heavy rainfall since early yesterday left large parts of the city waterlogged, forcing HSC exam candidates to wade through knee- to waist-deep water to reach their exam centres.
“I’ve brought my daughter to the exam centre after wading through waist-deep water. There were no rickshaws or auto-rickshaws available. I don’t know how she will sit for a three-hour exam in wet clothes,” Zainal Abedin told this newspaper outside Cumilla Govt Women’s College in Chartha.
[Our correspondents from Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Cumilla contributed to the report.]
