Tidal surges, heavy rains cause sudden flooding in coastal areas

Highlights

• Tidal surges and heavy rains have broken barriers and flooded several coastal areas including Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Barishal, Bhola and Noakhali
• Aman paddy, livestock, enclosures, dams and houses damaged after coastal protection dams in Satkhira breached
• Kopotakkho dam broke in Gabura, Satkhira, affecting 5,000 people
• Dead bodies are being buried elsewhere in Satkhira
• 500-feet dam in Hazrakhali area, which broke in cyclone Amphan, has not been repaired yet
• No embankments in Nijum Dwip and 5,000 animals washed away

Floods have suddenly hit the coastal areas; while the flood situation in various regions of the country has not improved yet. The people of the flood-hit areas are suffering as crops and houses are being damaged.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, tidal surges and heavy rains have broken barriers and flooded several coastal areas including: Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Barishal, Bhola, and Noakhali. The sudden floods have damaged Aman paddy, livestock, enclosures, dams, and houses.

Talking to the flood-hit locals and local administration, it has been learned that coastal protection dams in Shyamnagar and Ashashuni upazila of Satkhira district have been breached and lakhs of people have been stranded. 

The dam of the Kopotakkho river has broken in the Lebugunia area of Gabura union of Shyamnagar upazila. Six villages have been flooded and 5,000 people have been stranded. 

Meanwhile, 50 villages were flooded due to breaches of the Kholpetua River and Kopotakkho River embankments in Sriula, Pratapnagar and Asashuni Sadar of Asashuni upazila, leaving millions of people stranded. The dead bodies are being buried elsewhere.

In Shyamnagar upazila, Gabura Union Parishad (UP) chairman GM Masudul Islam said the dam on the Kopotakkho in the border area of Lebugunia and Gabura villages was broken. Some places that had never been struck by tidal waters before have been affected now.

Abu Hena Shakil, chairman of Sriula UP of Asashuni upazila, said 22 villages of the union were inundated with water that entered the area through a broken dam of the Kholpetua River in Hazrakhali area of the union. The 500-foot dam in Hazrakhali area, which broke in cyclone Amphan, has not been repaired yet.

The villages of Lebugunia, Chokbara, Gabura, Kholpetua, Khalshibunia, and Lakshikhali in the union have been submerged, leaving 5,000 people in these villages in a water logged condition.

Satkhira Water Development Board 1 executive engineer (Shyamnagar) Abul Khair said the six points that were broken in Gabura area have been repaired. The renovation work of a breach in a large section is also ongoing. He hoped the renovation work would be completed by Monday.

Satkhira deputy commissioner SM Mostafa Kamal said people in these areas were suffering due to the sudden floods caused by some problems with the dam.

Barisal

According to the Barisal Meteorological Office, heavy rains last Friday and rising Kirtankhola River water flooded some parts of Barisal on Saturday. Even some roads in Barisal city were submerged for three hours on Saturday.

"I had never seen any water logging on the roads in Barisal town in my life but last year and this year I witnessed it," said Md Shamim, a businessman of Sadar Road. 

"Mainly the depression in the Bay of Bengal is the cause of increasing the water as well as the northern flood water. We are planning to construct a city protection embankment on Kirtankhola's river bank," said Dipak Ranja Das, the weather observer of Barisal's weather office. 

In Bhola, 25 villages have been affected by floodwaters. Some of the villages flooded after the Meghna River's embankment was damaged.

Five villages of Elisha union under Bhola Sadar are the worst affected as the water of the Meghna River washed away many houses, trees and agricultural fields plus damaged its embankment.

"Around 5,000 people were directly affected by the flood water and we have given them dry food and other relief items," said Mohammed Masud Alom Siddique, the deputy commissioner (DC) of Bhola.      

Similarly, Noakhali Nijhum Dwip has been submerged due to unusual tides because of a lacking embankment. Houses, cattle, fish in ponds and enclosures as well as paved, semi-paved and unpaved roads have collapsed. More than half a million people on the island are helpless as there is a crisis of clean water and food in many areas. Many families have not been able to cook for the last week. Meanwhile, many deer in the forest of the island have been washed away by the unusual tide.

Mehraj Uddin, chairman of the Nijhum Dwip UP, said there were no embankments around the 71-square-kilometre island, which rises in the Bay of Bengal and the Meghna River. In the last week, about 5,000 cows, goats, buffaloes and sheep and at fish worth at least Tk3 crore have been washed away from the ponds and enclosures.

Hatia upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Rezaul Karim said at least 30 villages in 10 unions of the upazila have been inundated due to heavy rains and unusual tides. Four tonnes of rice have been allocated to the victims.

It has been reported that the people of Koira in Khulna have also faced water logging due to the tidal waters.

Meanwhile, data from the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the flood situation in the southwest and south-central coastal areas is likely to improve in the next 24 hours.