DHAKA, 19 July 2004 — As waters from upstream continued to roll down, overall flood situation in Bangladesh’s central and southern regions, including Sirajganj, Sherpur, Shariatpur, Chandpur and Kishoreganj districts, worsened further yesterday, affecting some 2.5 million people.

According to the Flood Forecasting Center, low-lying areas on the outskirts of Dhaka were beaming danger signals with the rise of water in the Turag, Shitalakhiya, Dhaleswari and Buriganga rivers. “More low-lying areas around capital Dhaka are likely to go under water,” the center’s forecast said.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday placed the services of 26 joint secretaries under Food and Disaster Management Ministry to perform their assigned duties in 26 districts to assist the local administrations in tackling the flood situation.

In Keraniganj near Dhaka city, floodwaters entered the area after the Buriganga River’s protection embankment developed cracks. A fish trader, Dulal, aged 28, was killed and four people were wounded in a wall collapse in Aganagar area as water poured into the area through the breaches of the embankment.

The Turag at Dhaka city’s Mirpur point rose by 14 cm and was flowing 11 cm above its danger level, while the Tongi Khal at Tongi point registered a 6-cm rise.

The Buriganga at Dhaka registered a further rise by 24 cm. The Shitalakhiya also marked a further rise by 6 cm at Narayanganj point and was flowing 55 cm above its red mark. The rest of the rivers in this basin were flowing below their respective danger levels.

In Sirajganj, a boat, carrying 40 passengers, sank in floodwaters at Deluakandi village in Belkuchi sub-district. However, all the passengers swam to safety. In another incident at Adachaki village in the same area, a 38-year-old man, Liakat, was washed away by floodwaters.

The flood-affected people were passing their days in unspeakable miseries in nine sub-districts of the district for lack of emergency assistance and medicines. Various waterborne diseases have also broken out in the flood-hit areas.

In Bhola district, 20 villages in sadar sub-district went under 5-6 feet water after the collapse of the Water Development Board embankment, displacing some 50,000 people in four sub-districts of the district.

In Sherpur, diarrhea has broken out in an epidemic form in flood-hit areas, affecting hundreds of people. Educational institutions in Sadar, Nakla and Sreewardi sub-districts were closed indefinitely due to the deteriorating flood situation.

In Shariatpur, nearly 800,000 people were marooned by floodwaters. Fifty-five unions of the district went under water.

In Sunamganj, the flood situation deteriorated further with fresh areas going under floodwaters as the rain-fed Surma was flowing 105 cm above its danger mark. Water Development Board recorded some 200 mm of rainfall in the district in last 24 hours. Road communication of the district headquarters with Chhatak and Jagannathpur were snapped again.

The flood situation in Sylhet district deteriorated due to incessant rain.