More than 20 villages of four unions and adjoining areas as well as the upazila headquarters of Zakiganj in Sylhet were inundated on Monday as water started entering the villages overflowing the flood control dykes of the Kushiara River.
The inundation has been caused by the onrush of water from the upstream region across the border amid raining.
Local residents of the affected areas said that the river water started entering the villages after the river dyke breached near Rarai and Bakharshal villages under sadar union between 2:30am and 4:30am and near Loharmahal village under Khalachhara union of the upazila at about 8:30am, flooding houses, educational institutions and mosques under the unions and the nearby areas.
More than 50,000 people of over 20 villages under the sadar upazila, Khalachhara, Barthakuri and Sultanpur unions at the upazila were already flooded by the river water, they said.聽聽聽
Juned Ahmed Chowdhury, a resident of the Zakiganj Municipality area, told 抖阴精品 in the afternoon that almost of the government offices, shops and dwelling houses in the Jakiganj upazila headquarters went under knee-deep water.
鈥楩loodwater is increasing gradually in the areas since the river water continued to enter in the areas overflowing the river bank,鈥� he said.
鈥楾here was no flood control dykes on the Kusiyara bank since 2022 after the dykes were damaged by flooding in that year and it was not repaired or reconstructed,鈥� he alleged.
Sharif Ahmed, a shopkeeper of the Zakiganj Bazar, told 抖阴精品 that making a thin wall with sand laden bags could not withstand the strong current of a river like the Kusiyara.
鈥楢lthough residents of Zakiganj have repeatedly demanded taking steps to reconstruct the dyke, no proper steps have been taken in this regard so far,鈥� he said.
Water Development Board鈥檚 district executive engineer Dipak Ranjan Das told 抖阴精品 in the afternoon that the water of the Kusiyara was entering vast swathes flooding a span of 7.5 kilometre to 8 kilometre of the dyke as the river water was flowing around two metre above the danger level.聽
鈥楾aking any steps to repair the dyke could not be possible before the floodwater recedes,鈥� he said.
Zakiganj upazila nirbahi officer Md Mahbubur Rahman told 抖阴精品 that they kept ready 57 flood shelter centres at the upazila for affected people and a control room also opened to provide necessary assistance to them.
鈥楴o one has come to the flood shelter centres so far,鈥� he said, claiming that the floodwater has not entered the dwelling houses of the people till this afternoon.
Earlier on Sunday, low-lying areas at Gowainghat, Companiganj, Beanibazar and Fenchuganj were also flooded due to torrential rainfall in the district.
Sylhet deputy commissioner Mohammed Sher Mahbub Murad told in the afternoon that they had already taken preparations for the flood-hit people.
鈥極ur officers have visited the affected areas of Zakiganj and all kinds of arrangements, including shelter centres, foods and medicines, have been taken to offer the affected people,鈥� he said.聽聽聽
According to the water development board, the Kusiyara was flowing 186 centimetres above the danger level at Amalshid point under Zakiganj at 3:00pm, 46 cm above at Shewla point under Beanibazar upazila and 37 cm above at Fenchuganj upazila while the River Surma was flowing 89 cm above the danger mark at Kanaighat upazila inundating fresh low-lying areas in the district.
