RAJSHAHI, – The overall flood situation has further improved in the Ganges Basin as a result of continuous recession of water level in many of its rivers for the last couple of days, report BSS.
Flood affected people in many of the districts including Sirajganj, Bogura, Natore, Naogaon and Pabna districts have started returning back to their normal life as their water logging condition is being removed in wake of improvement of the flood situation.
Of 30 river points monitored in the Ganges basin today, water levels receded at 22 points while went up at eight points.
Apart from this, the rivers were flowing below the danger level at all the 30 points this morning. A declining trend of water was recorded at all the four points of the Ganges River and at many other points of Padma River this morning, superintending engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board
(BWDB) Mukhlesur Rahman told BSS.
Water level in the Ganges River decreased by nine cm each at Pankha in Chapainawabganj and at Rajshahi points respectively, six cm at Hardinge
Bridge and three cm at Talbaria points.
The Ganges River was flowing 191 cm, 203 cm, 123 cm and 113 cm below the danger levels at Pankha, Rajshahi, Hardinge Bridge and Talbaria points
respectively, while the Padma River was flowing five cm below the danger mark with a two cm fall at Goalundo point, he added.
Water level of the Korotoa River was reported a rising trend afresh at Chak Rahimpur, while falling trend at Bogura points and the river was flowing
139 cm below the danger level at Chak Rahimpur with a 36 cm rise. The river was flowing 248 cm below the danger mark at Bogura point with an 11 cm fall this morning.
On the other hand, the local BWDB office has recorded a rising trend of water at all the three points of the Jamuna River. The water level increased
by 13 cm each at Sariakandi in Bogura and at Kazipur in Sirajgonj and 12 cm at Sirajgonj points.
But, the river was still flowing 22 cm, 39 cm and 35 cm below the danger level at the three points respectively at 9 am. The Gur River was flowing 15
cm above the danger level at Singra in Natore with a five cm fall afresh while the Atrai River was flowing five cm below the danger level with one cm
decline.
Besides, the Atrai River was flowing 73 cm below the danger mark at Atrai point in Naogaon with a rise of seven cm afresh while 289 cm below the
danger mark with a 90 cm rise at Mohadevpur point in Naogaon.
Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, executive engineer of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), said of the 16 river points both in Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins, being monitored in many districts under Rajshahi division regularly, water levels decreased at nine points, while went up at seven point this morning.
However, the rivers were flowing below the danger level at 15 points, while above the danger mark at one point during the period.
Meanwhile, the local administration has recorded that around 8.93 lakh people of 2.14 lakh families and standing crops on around 34,140 hectares of
land have been affected in the division.
Additional Divisional Commissioner Moinul Islam said the district and upazila administrations with the local public representatives have been
distributing relief materials in the worst-affected areas for the last couple of weeks.
Around 2.14 lakh worst-affected people have, so far, received relief materials to overcome their livelihood related hardships caused by the flood in different districts under Rajshahi division.
The government, as part of its instant humanitarian support to cope with the disastrous situation, has disbursed 1,464 tonnes of rice, Taka 30.72 lakh
in cash, 15,174 packets of dry-food, Taka 12 lakh for baby food and Taka 18 lakh for animal feed among the waterlogged people in the division.
Moinul Islam said 1,854 tonnes of rice, Taka 41.48 lakh, 5,026 packets of dry food, Taka six lakh for baby food and Taka 12 lakh for animal feed
remained in stock for distribution among the affected people.
Apart from this, 1,000 tonnes of rice, Taka 20 lakh, Taka 15 lakh for baby food and Taka two lakh for dry food are available for the hardest hit
families in Sirajganj district, if needed, he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has undertaken all possible measures to prevent any outbreak of water-borne diseases among the marooned people in the affected areas amid recession of the floodwater. Some 2,694 patients were recorded to be suffering from various water-related diseases and 16 deaths occurred mainly caused by drowning and snakebite, since July 1, sources said.
