Scores of people moved to shelters as flash floods and water stagnation gripped vast swathes of the coastal belt, including major coastal towns and cities, with torrential rain continuing over most of Bangladesh for the third consecutive day until Wednesday.
The bodies of two polytechnic students were recovered on Wednesday after they drowned in Mirsarai waterfall. Three others were injured in the same incident due to inclement weather.
A child drowned in a canal in Chattogram city after it went into the grip of severe water stagnation on the day.
Poorly maintained levees gave in to pressure from rapidly swelling rivers, forcing breaches to let massive volumes of water to inundate numerous villages, their cropland and the premises of important public infrastructures such as hospitals and educational institutions.
Local road network remained swamped, abruptly bringing communication on many locally important roads to a halt. In cities and towns, long traffic tailbacks were seen, staying stationary
for a long time, causing daylong miseries to commuters.
Authorities suspended classes and examinations in areas struck by flash floods as the disaster-hit parts of affected areas going so bad that they remained out of electricity and mobile network coverage, reviving the horrible memory of past year鈥檚 flood in Feni.
A total of 100 workers, assisted by two barges, laboured all day on Wednesday dumping geo bags in the Padma River to protect the embankment built for protecting the Padma Bridge.
鈥榃e somehow managed to escape with our lives and two cattle, leaving behind all other belongings at home sunk in neck-deep water,鈥� Nurul Islam, a resident of Fulgazi, Feni, told 抖阴精品 correspondent in the district.
Ali Raz, another resident from the same area, said that the Muhuri developed a breach just beside his home, washing away his brother鈥檚 and his houses along with many others.聽
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said that the Muhuri was flowing 584 cm above its danger mark after swelling 76 cm in the 24 hours until 9:00am on Wednesday.
In the 24 hours until 6:00am on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said, Feni recorded 399mm rainfall, the second highest volume of rain the weather station recorded ever since it was established in 1973.
Since July 7, Feni recorded 584mm rainfall, 80 per cent of the average normal rain for the entire month.
The Muhuri, Kohua, and Silonia rivers caused breaches聽 at 17 places in embankments, inundating 30 villages and leaving 25,000 people stranded in Fulgazi, Parshuram, and Feni.
Road communication on the Feni-Parshuram road remained snapped since Tuesday night. The upazilas of Parshuram and Fulgazi also remained without electricity.
Feni鈥檚 additional deputy commissioner Ismail Hossain said that 347 people from 115 families took shelter in temporary flood shelters until Wednesday afternoon.
Many flood-struck people sought refuge at their relatives鈥� houses or moved to embankments on their own, reports suggest.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Chattogram reported that two students from Feni Polytechnic Institute drowned after being swept away by a strong stream while hiking along the Melkhum trail in South Sonapahar area in Jorarganj union of Mirsarai upazila on Tuesday.
A team from the Fire Service and Civil Defence recovered their bodies nearly 24 hours later on Wednesday afternoon.
Three other hikers, who had lost their way and spent the night in the jungle, were rescued and admitted to hospital with injuries.
The deceased are Aminul Islam, 20, of Napiter Char village in Satkania upazila of Chattogram, and Ibrahim Hridoy, 22, of Dhuniyalapara in Dhaka鈥檚 Jatrabari area.
Senior station officer Zainal Abedin Titas of Baraiyarhat fire station said, 鈥淭he bodies of Galib and Hridoy were recovered from the site, while three others were sent to the hospital.鈥�
A three-year-old girl died after falling into an open drain in Halishahar on Wednesday amid widespread water stagnation in several parts of Chattogram city due to heavy overnight rainfall.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Noakhali reported that the Maijdee town was mostly under water due to water stagnation. Maizdee is particularly badly hit with water stagnation.
Across Noakhali, all educational institutions in five upazilas were announced closed.
In Feni, a decision was taken to suspend the mid-term examinations in the secondary educational institutions in the district 鈥楾he good news is that there would be a letup likely in the rain tomorrow,鈥� said Bazlur Rashid, in-charge of the Storm Warning Centre, BMD.
Low-income people suffered seriously in towns and cities for they were mostly out of work. Bangladesh鈥檚 economy鈥檚 lifeline is informal work which includes poor people running makeshift roadside shops or operating three wheelers.
The bad weather confined people without emergency need to their homes and working place, causing a shortage of customers for the informal sector businesses.
News Agency UNB reported that non-stop rain left parts of Khulna city, its suburbs, and adjacent upazilas near the Sundarbans submersed.
Several areas, including Royal Mor, Tutpara, Mistripara, Ahsan Ahmed Road, Boyra, Mujgunni, Sonadanga, and Fulbarigate went under water in the city while fish enclosures, ponds, and croplands were flooded and residents were facing an acute shortage of drinking water in rural parts of Khulna.
Amid the downpour, the roof of the record room at the Khulna sadar sub-registry office collapsed on Tuesday, causing damages to over a hundred official books in rainwater.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Shariatpur reported that authorities hired workers to protect the embankment at Majhirghat of Jajira, built to protect the Padma Bridge from erosion.
On Wednesday, the BMD said, heavy to very heavy rain continued in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Sandwip, Sitakunda, Bandarban, Chandpur, and Cumilla.
In the 24 hours until 6:00pm, Bangladesh鈥檚 highest rainfall of 271 mm was recorded in Bandarban, followed by 202 mm recorded in Mazidee Court, and 160mm in Barishal. Dhaka recorded 80 mm.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Barishal reported severe water stagnation affecting crop fields, roads, and many neighbourhoods in different areas.
The FFWC in a bulletin issued in Wednesday predicted the flash flood in Feni to persist for 24 hours.
Of the 119 rivers monitored for water levels, 79 recorded rise, the FFWC said.
In the 24-hour reporting cycle of the FFWC, the Halda River rose by 436 cm at Narayan Hat, and the Feni River swelled by 367 cm at Ramgarh.
The ongoing wet spell is the result of active monsoon and a low pressure formed over land in West Bengal and adjacent areas. A heavy rainfall warning remained in effect for Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, and Barishal divisions. The BMD also warned about potential landslide in Chattogram division.
Four maritime ports were asked to keep hoisting signal number 3.聽
Meteorologist Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik warned that water might drain slowly from tomorrow due to the impact of full moon.
鈥楢nd then rain might pick up again all over Bangladesh from July 12,鈥� he said.
