SIRAJGANJ, July 28: Flooding has brought several thousand people to their knee in Bogura and Sirajganj districts with fresh swelling of the mighty Jamuna and Bengali rivers in recent days.
The deluge has brought crops and vegetables worth Tk5,000 million under water in the two districts this season.
People of Sariakandi, Sonatla, Gabtoli and Dhunat upazilas of Bogura and Chauhali, Kazipur and Shahjadpur upazilas and Enayetpur and Khaspukuria unions of Sirajganj are the worst sufferers as their houses and crops have been flooded mercilessly.
More than 20,000 farmer families of both districts are passing time in anxiety thinking how to recoup the huge losses they incurred due to the calamity.
In Bogura, damage to more crops is being apprehended as the Bangali river flowing above the danger mark has entered the neighborhood and there is no flood control dam.
Abdul Khalek, a farmer of Namazkhali village in Sonatla upazila near the Bangali river, said all his land is on the bank of the river.
Jute on three bighas of land and Aus paddy on four bighas have been completely damaged due to sudden flooding.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said jute on 5,212 hectares of land, Aus paddy on 5,300 hectares, various kinds of vegetables on 500 hectares, chilli on three hectares and sugarcane on three hectares have been damaged.
Though local MP Abdul Mannan and Deputy Commissioner Foyez Ahmmed have distributed over 100 tonnes of GR rice as relief to flood victims in remote areas, the supply is far inadequate compared to the entire flooded area.
In Sirajganj, on Sunday, scores of settlements disappeared in the river in Khaspukuria and Enayetpur in Chauhali upazila.
On the other hand, thousands of houses are still under water, and the houses have begun to collapse.
Furniture has begun to decay hitting the low-income group people.
Half the flood affected people have not even received government assistance.
The flood victims have to pass nights with their children even under the open sky amid rain.
For want of cooking arrangement, people have to pass their days half-fed.
The roads are getting damaged aggravating public woes. Domestic animals are also dying for the scarcity of feed. The farmers are worried about the prices before Eid-ul-Azha.
Jahangir Alam, a member of Khokshabari Union Parishad, said about 25,000 people of the union have remained stranded in flood.
The government has given support to 4,000 families with five kg rice each. The rest flood victims are still deprived, he added.
The crisis has occurred due to depleting grass fields.
No step has been taken yet for allocation of cattle feed. District Animal Resources Officer Aktaruzzaman said fodder crisis is creating unrest among the poor farmer families.
Meanwhile, the district administration has sent letters to three private companies asking for feed supply, he said. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Farum Ahmed said relief activities are underway.
Relief materials will be distributed to all the flood-hit families in phases.