Voice 9, Dhaka Bureau: Due to torrential rains, many thousands of people have been stranded in Bangladesh's Chittagong area. Bandarban has been the worst hit by the floods. Four people have died in the district as a result of recent rain and flooding. Two more people are missing. Many regions in the districts of Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, and Feni have also been inundated. Landslides occur on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, the body of another person, Khangcha Marma, was found yesterday in Sonaichhari in Nakhyangchhari district. Previously, a woman and her daughter were murdered in a landslide in the Sadar upazila's Kalaghata Gudarpar district, while one person drowned in flood waters in Alikadam. So far, the death toll in the district has risen to four. Two people are missing in the Sadar upazilas of Tongkavati and Nakhyangchhari.
It is known that the water has not increased again as the rainfall has decreased since yesterday morning. In some areas, the water has started receding. However, the district has been cut off from the rest of the country for three days as the roads in Haldia and Baitul Izzat areas of the Bandarban-Keranihat-Chattogram highway are still submerged. Road connectivity in Ruma, Roanchhari, and Thanchi upazilas has been suspended due to landslides.
Meanwhile, thousands of families of Memberpara, Armypara, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Islampur, Wapda Bridge area, and Lama and Alikadam upazilas of the district headquarters are still under water. More than 20,000 people are staying in shelter centers in seven upazilas in the district. There has been a shortage of drinking water due to a lack of electricity for four days. Engineers on the Power Development Board could not tell when the power supply system would be normal.
Bandarban Municipality Mayor Saurabh Das Shekhar said the people of Bandarban have not faced such a terrible situation in the last three decades. However, the flood waters have been receding from various flooded areas of the district since Wednesday. These areas are filled with mud and garbage. The municipality is working on the cleanup.
District Council member and officer-in-charge of the Department of Public Health Engineering, Mozammel Haque Bahadur, said, "There has been serious damage to the water supply system in the municipal area. All the machines are almost useless. Can't be activated until repaired. Efforts are being made to restore the water supply system as soon as possible.
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Although the rain has decreased, the flood situation in Rangamati has worsened due to the upstream flow. The lack of rain has reduced the risk of landslides, but new areas are being flooded due to the influx. As of Tuesday, 22 unions were flooded, but on Wednesday, it rose to 28. The water flow in the Karnaphuli River, Kachalong River, Raikhyang River, Chengi River, Shijak River, and Sublang River is increasing. Meanwhile, the people of the marginalized areas are suffering as the water in Kaptai Lake has become murky.
Parag Barua, executive engineer of the District Public Health Engineering Department, said the water level in Kaptai Lake is now murky due to the influx. However, murky water has to be used to continue the supply system in the city. However, we have increased the amount of chemicals in the treatment to provide usable water.
Meanwhile, sources in the control room of Karnaphuli Hydropower Plant said that according to the rule card (timely water fluctuation measure) of Kaptai Lake, the water level was 95.77 minus C level (MSL) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. However, the water is supposed to be 91.56 mL normally. As a result, the plant's five units are generating an average of 184 MW of electricity.
Although the flood situation in Chandanaish upazila of South Chattogram has come under control, the situation in Satkania and Lohagara is not yet normal. Although the water level has dropped slightly, communication with Bandarban is closed. However, vehicles are not plying on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway as the road from Dohazari to Satkania in Chandanaish is waterlogged. Many goods are being damaged as trucks are stuck, the drivers said. Meanwhile, the army and the local administration are carrying out rescue operations in Satkania upazila as the flood situation is not normal.
Acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Chandanaish, Zimran Mohammad Sayek, said that various areas, including Hashimpur, Dohazari, and Keranihat of Chandanaish, on Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Road, are still inundated. Therefore, vehicular movement is stopped. Though the water level dropped slightly from Chandanaish Road, the situation did not change significantly. However, those who are trapped are being rescued and taken to a safe place.
