Flood situation in B'desh alarming, 38 killed, millions marooned

Dhaka, Aug 1 (UNI) At least 38 people have been killed and millions affected by the current flood in Bangladesh as rushing waters from upper riparian regions inundated more townships and villages in north and northeastern parts of the country.

Schools were shut, courts suspended judicial functions and road links snapped in most northern and southeastern districts due to the deluge, the worst since 1988.

The army has joined the local administration in rescuing and rehabilitating the flood affected people.

Chief Advisor of caretaker government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and army Chief General Moeen Ahmed visited some affected areas and distributed relief among the victims.

''The overall situation looks alarming,'' Food and Disaster Management Advisor Tapan Chowdhury told reporters today. However, it is too early to declare it a national disaster, he added.

The official statistics say the floodwaters so far killed 38 people, affected more than 45,00,000 people in 36 districts out of the country's 64 districts.

Some 2,50,000 houses were either completely or partially damaged, while crops on over 5,00,000 acre of land were damaged.

Reports said northern Sirajganj town, one of the worst-hit by flood, is now under three feet of water. The town looks like a lake as people were forced to use boats to reach their work places.

The local administration halted the trial proceedings in courts for seven days and asked employees to join the relief and rescue operations.

Four minor boys and girls drowned in the floodwater in the town today raising the toll to 13. Schools and colleges were shut down and turned into relief centers.

In southeastern Faridpur, two children drowned.

A barrage on the Kumar river was damaged due to swelling waters and submerged 70 new villages in Nagarkanda sub-district.

Three points on Dhaka-Barisal highway went under one foot water, threatening the transport.

More areas in northeastern districts of Netrakona, Sunamganj and Sylhet were inundated today as the main rivers in the region continued to swell, leaving thousands of families marooned afresh.

A bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said new areas in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur districts and Dohar and Nawabganj sub-districts of Dhaka are likely to be inundated. It said more low-lying areas in the eastern part of Dhaka are likely to be inundated.

The bulletin said most rivers in the Brahmaputra, Ganges and the Meghna basins registered rise, while the rivers in the Southeastern hill basin marked both rise and fall.

UNI