Water crisis in 4 districts 

The flood situation in Kurigram, Bogra, Gaibandha and Jamalpur worsened and the people of these districts are now facing an acute crisis of food and drinking water

Their houses and croplands have gone under water.

“We could not feed our children. Oftentimes, we go to dry land on boats in search of food,” said Nur Jahan Begum of Gobordhan village in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat.

“We are eating only dry food, like bread, flattened rice, puffed rice and molasses. Sometime we get cooked food from relatives who have not been hit by the flood,” said Nabirul Islam at Char Kharuya village in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila.

Many villagers are selling off their domestic animals at lower prices as there is an acute crisis of fodder. Many grazing fields around villages were under water.

“We are selling our domestic animals at a lower price as we are unable to provide them with fodder,” said Rafiqul Islam of Lalmonirhat.

The Dharla river was flowing above 28cm of the danger mark at Kulaghat point. The Brahmaputra, Jamuna, and Bangalee also were flowing above their danger marks yesterday.

Local administrations and social organisations are distributing dry foods among the flood victims.

Shibendu Khastagir, executive engineer of Water Development Board (WDB), Lalmonirhat, said the overall flood situation remained unchanged yesterday. It would improve if there were no rain and onrush of water from upstream and across the border in the next 24 hours.

The flood situation in Jamalpur, Kurigram and Bogra worsened as the water level of the Jamuna, Brahmaputra and Bangalee rivers increased due to water from the upstream and heavy rainfall.

Jamalpur District Primary Education Officer Abdul Alim said they had closed 109 primary schools in the district due to the flood.

Crops on at least 10,000 hectares of land in Bogra have been damaged, sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said.

Bogra Deputy Commissioner Ashraf Uddin said they were trying their best to help the flood-affected people.

At least 50,000 people of 25 villages in 15 unions of Kurigram have been newly affected by the flood.

Shawkat Ali Sarkar, deputy director of Kurigram DAE, said around 2.5 lakh farmers might incur huge losses as over 58,000 hectares of cropland had been damaged.

According to WDB in Gaibandha, new areas of seven upazilas in the district had gone under floodwater affecting about two lakh people.