A QUARTER to a million people, especially at Nalitabari, Jhenaigati and Sribardipur spanning about 800 square kilometres in Sherpur are left stranded in a flash flooding that a heavy spell of rain in Bangladesh鈥檚 north and its adjacent hills upstream across the border in India caused in 24 hours until night on October 4. The height of the trans-boundary river Bhugai increased by 640 centimetres in 24 hours. The river is reported to have been flowing 200cm above the danger mark at 3:00pm that day. The areas that went under water are inhabited largely by farmers, including hundreds from the national minorities. The extent of damage could not be immediately established as the onrush of water snapped villages one from another as roads, mostly dirt tracks, went under waist-high water in the upazilas. The deputy commissioner says that they could not reach many areas for rescue for lack of logistics. People were either stuck in their houses or moved onto roads, but, as the district administration says, the road communication was poor with only about 300 kilometres of metalled road. With much of the road stretches having gone under water, there was not much space for the victims to take shelter on.
In such a situation, the district administration having managed only four boats for rescue and having ordered others to make rafts to rescue the victims is a sign of severe under-preparedness. The Met Office on October 4 warned that the very heavy rain could continue over the north and upstream areas for two more days. With a low having already formed over the west Bay of Bengal, the situation could turn worse. In a mark of changed weather patterns, weather stations in some affected areas find it somewhat difficult to understand the extent of deviation in rainfall because the monsoon season has already been over. In 24 hours until October 4 night, 261 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Sherpur and up to 200 millimetres in the neighbouring Netrakona, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Tangail. In Mymensingh, the day鈥檚 rainfall, 68 millimetres, against the daily average of 11.8 millimetres, was almost a third of the 209 millimetres of the average monthly rainfall for October. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on October 4 said that the Bhugai, along with the Kangsa, the Someswari and the Jinjiram might sell further, which could inundate low-lying areas in Sherpur, Netrakona and Mymensingh. In view of all this, the administration should step up rescue efforts and make adequate preparations to face any danger that could be forthcoming.
A few days ago, some other districts in the Rangpur and the Rajshahi division faced flash flooding, but the situation there has already improved. Yet, flash flood may be over in a day or two, but the destruction it leaves leaves victims, in most cases, shattered as their houses get destroyed or damaged, their crop is damaged, fish farms are washed away and infrastructure is harmed. The government should, therefore, step up rescue plans in the case at hand and focus on rehabilitation and rebuilding in earnest.