Water is pouring in from India, millions of people are in trouble 

MediVoice Report: Incessant rains and water coming down from India have left hundreds of thousands of people stranded in several rivers including Muhuri, Kahua, Ceylonia and Gomti rivers. Meanwhile, some houses in Feni upazila have been submerged. The flood situation in some other districts including Noakhali, Comilla has become dire.

It is known that the waters of Muhuri, Kahua and Ceylonia rivers are flowing over the border due to the influx of water from India. More than 40 villages of Sadar Union, Anandpur, Munsirhat, Amjadhat Union of Fulgazi Upazila have been flooded. More than 45 villages including Mirzanagar, Chithlia, Buxmahmud and Pursharam in Parashuram are under water. Several villages of Pathan Nagar, Radhanagar, Shubopur Union of Chagalnaya are also flooded.

In these areas, roads, ponds and crop lands have been submerged. In some areas, the flood water has touched the roofs and tin roofs of people's houses. Locals are looking for shelter in such a situation. The local administration and various voluntary organizations have entered the field with relief assistance for the flood victims.

Feni Deputy Commissioner Muchammat Shahina Akhtar told the media that a team of army and coast guard will soon go to rescue the flood victims with speedboats. Since there is no river route from the district town, we have to get some speed to take the speedboat for transport. Besides, the local BGB members are working in rescue in the border area.

Meanwhile, Noakhali residents are going to witness terrible floods. Already, almost all upazilas including Noakhali municipality are floating in water. Incessant rains for the past one week have caused waterlogging in Noakhali district town. Almost all the important roads of the city have been submerged, water is also entering the houses. Almost lakhs of people in the municipal area have suffered greatly.

The basement of the Noakhali District Commissioner's office, Superintendent of Police's office, District Meteorological Office, District Fisheries Office, Press Club, Red Crescent, BRDB, Mats, Electricity Office, Record Room of Sub-Registry Office, Shaheed Bhulu Stadium, Forest Department Bungalow, Noakhali Government College, Many important government and private offices including Maizdi Government Technical School and College.

Locals said that the residents of the flooded area are suffering from food shortage at the moment. Relief assistance has become necessary for them. Due to the lack of clean water, various water borne diseases including diarrhea are increasing.

Meanwhile, Noakhali District Commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rahman announced the closure of all educational institutions in the district through a circular. He said that a decision will be taken to start the institution once the water subsides.

Due to continuous rain and torrential water, the Gomti river in Comilla has increased and there is a risk of flooding. Already, about four thousand hectares of cropland and numerous houses have been submerged in water. Since last night, rain and torrential water has been increasing continuously. The water of the river is below the danger level till this morning, but the local residents are afraid that it will soon overflow the banks.

According to the information provided by the Sylhet Water Development Board (PUBO) till 12 noon today, the two main rivers of Sylhet, Surma and Kushiara, are flowing over the danger line at some points, but the water has decreased a lot. 1 million 43 thousand 161 people are trapped in water in Sylhet due to the second round of floods. Among them, 60 thousand people were affected by flood in the city.

According to the information of the Water Development Board (PUBO), at 12 noon on Friday, the water of the Surma river is flowing 58 cm above the flood limit at Kanighat point and 13 cm at Sylhet point. 55 cm at Amalsid point and 5 cm at Sheola point of Kushiara river and 103 cm at Fenchuganj point and 20 cm at Sherpur point of the same river.

On Friday (June 21), according to district administration sources, 10 lakh 43 thousand 161 people are trapped in water in 13 upazilas including 29 wards of Sylhet city. Out of 42 wards of Sylhet city, 60,000 people in 29 wards are waterlogged. 28 thousand 925 people have taken shelter in 713 shelters. 1552 villages in 13 upazilas were inundated with flood water. Goainghat, Jaintapur, Golapganj, Companyganj, Kanighat, Jokiganj, Biswanath Osmani Nagar have been flooded.

Shah Mohammad Sajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist of Sylhet Meteorological Office, said that the amount of rain in the last 24 hours was 20 millimeters. No rain since yesterday afternoon.

The doctors and health workers of the health department in coordination with the local public representatives and the local administration are relentlessly providing medical services to the affected people in the flood-affected areas of Sylhet division. Apart from this, sufficient medicines, orsaline, IV saline and antivenom for treating snakebite patients have been kept in the hospital in the affected area.

This information was given in a notification sent by the Department of Health on Friday (June 21) night. These activities are being continuously communicated and coordinated from the Flood Control Cell of the Health Department. Along with this, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Directorate of Health are continuously monitoring the flood situation and providing regular guidance.

According to the notification of the ministry, all the districts of Sylhet division have been affected by severe floods for the past few days. The Health Department had taken adequate preparedness from the beginning to deal with the flood situation. The Minister of Health, Dr. Samanta Lal Sen and secretary of health care department. Jahangir Alam gave necessary instructions to all field level officials in an emergency virtual meeting.

The medical services that people are getting in the flood affected areas include, medical teams are working in every area up to the union of every district of Sylhet division, medical teams are delivering necessary medicines and medical supplies to the flood victims by boat and helping to send patients to hospitals, with the aim of ensuring vaccination of children in the flood affected areas. The PI program has been maintained, hospitals are stocked with sufficient quantities of drugs, orsaline, ID saline and antivenom to treat patients bitten by venomous snakes.

A large part of Sylhet district is affected by floods. The people of Sylhet metropolitan area are also waterlogged. Relief and medical supplies have been distributed in the densely populated areas of the affected areas under the leadership of the District Civil Surgeon. Special program has been conducted in Sylhet City Corporation area. Osmani Medical College Hospital is flooded due to heavy rains but normal operations are going on. All district hospitals are running normal medical operations and essential medicines are stocked.

Upazila Health Officers have provided medical services by forming medical camps in the upazilas. Inspite of rising water in the upazila health complex buildings of Biswambharpur, Companyganj, Goainghat, Jaintapur, Fenchuganj, Osmaninagar upazilas, the emergency medical services of the public have been continued in alternative facilities despite the single efforts of all the health workers including doctors.