The flood situation has worsened in Dhobaura and Fulbaria upazilas of Mymensingh district due to torrential rain and onrush of hill water. However, the situation has improved slightly in Haluaghat upazila.
Fifty more villages have been inundated by floodwater, leaving over 150,000 people marooned in 23 unions of three upazilas.
Confirming it on Monday afternoon, Mymensingh Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md. Sanowar Hossain said that primary and secondary schools in the affected areas are being used as shelters.
Currently, around 2,000 people, including women and children, have taken shelter in these centres. The government has distributed 63 tonnes of rice and provided Tk 700,000 in cash to the affected people.
Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Korakandlia in Dhobaura upazila, said, “We are facing a shortage of dry food and pure drinking water in many of our flood-hit areas, though local authorities have started food distribution in some areas. Floodwaters from upstream continue to inundate low-lying areas. Several houses along the Netai River were swept away.”
In Fulbaria, flooding has inundated 25 villages in unions like Chandhara, Rambhadrapur, Singheshwar, and Fulbaria. Ten more villages were inundated by floodwater afresh. Floods have submerged paddy fields and vegetable farms, washed away fish farms, and caused widespread loss to poultry.
In Haluaghat, floodwater has begun to recede. However, as water flows toward Fulbaria and the Brahmaputra River, additional villages have been flooded, affecting thousands of hectares of farmland and displacing numerous families. Many are living in hunger as cooking becomes nearly impossible due to flooded homes.
In Dhobaura, 127-kilometre road remains submerged, with 50 kilometres rendered completely unusable.
Upazila Engineer Abu Bakar Siddique said that once floodwaters recede, efforts will be made to assess the damage and begin repairs.
The situation is expected to improve within the next couple of days as upstream water levels begin to decrease, said Dhobaura Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Nishat Sharmin.
In Sherpur, the flood situation has improved as water levels in the Maharshi and Someshwari rivers recede. With no rainfall reported since Sunday afternoon, the situation has gradually improved in 20 unions of Jhenaigati, Sreebardi, Sherpur Sadar, and Nakla upazilas, though about 20,000 people remain marooned. A man drowned in floodwaters in Nakla on Sunday.
Even though the situation starts improving, local officials said, floodwaters have caused damage to several rural roads, particularly in Jhenaigati upazila, hampering relief efforts. Local administrations and political parties, including BNP and Jamaat, have started distributing relief materials, but it remains insufficient to meet the needs of affected people.
Md. Naquibuzzaman, Executive Engineer at Water Development Board in Sherpur, said that water levels in the district’s rivers are falling rapidly. “The flood situation is expected to improve further if there is no rain,” he added.
