The flood situation in Noakhali escalated on Saturday as water receded slowly while onrush of water from upstream, particularly from Feni, continued amidst warning from the meteorological office about a fresh wet spell beginning from today.
Intensity of the fresh wet spell, predicted to last through July 18, will depend on whether or not a low pressure forms over the west Bay of Bengal on July 15, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
鈥楾he amount of rain the next spell is going to bring is still uncertain. But it can be as bad as the last one,鈥� said Omar Faruq, a meteorologist at the BMD.
Thousands were still at flood shelters and about 2,00,000 were stranded in flood affected Feni and Noakhali, where skies cleared after days on Saturday.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Noakhali reported that several villages were freshly inundated in Begumganj upazila amid slow water recession and rush of water from Feni.
More than 1.92 lakh people remained stranded in Noakhali with many places in Maizdi town remaining inundated until Saturday afternoon.
About 1,800 people were still at 47 flood shelters in the district.
Flood-affected people formed a human chain at sadar Noakhali upazila, demanding that authorities free canals in the district from encroachment for smooth passing of water.
They gave a long list of infrastructure, including houses, business establishments, culverts and other obstructions, standing in the way of the flow of water, contributing to flash floods.
They recalled the devastating flood of last year that forced them to stage similar demonstrations, but authorities never paid heed to their demands.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Feni reported that 40,000 people remained stranded in 30 villages in the district as of Saturday.聽
鈥榃ater receded from my home but the yard is still swamped,鈥� said Anwar Hossain, a resident of Paithara in Phulgazi upazila on the day.
While some areas still remained submerged under water, a trail of destruction emerged from where water receded.
In four upazilas, the flash flood damaged 2,350 fish enclosures and 1,655 hectares of aman nurseries. The primary estimate of loss from the flood in the district has been estimated to be over Tk 64.98 lakh, according to the district administration.
Over 1,000 people were still sheltered in temporary flood shelters in Feni.
In the district, about 8,000 people returned home after flash flood started receding on Friday as numerous challenges awaiting them at home.
Their houses were damaged, domestic animals washed away and roads were left in a mess.
On Friday afternoon, a housewife, Rokeya Aktar Rina, 48, died from snakebite in her kitchen where she went for cooking after water left. She was a resident of Shalia village in Parshuram upazila.
In the 24 hours until 6:00pm on Saturday, Bangladesh鈥檚 highest rainfall of 20mm was recorded in Koyra upazila in Khulna. The highest maximum temperature of 37C was recorded in Rajarhat in Kurigram.
Disaster management and relief adviser Faruk E Azam visited Feni on Saturday, announcing that a mega project worth Tk 7,500 crore was taken for flood protection along Muhuri River.
