Flood crisis grips Kurigram:  Thousands trapped amid shortage of food, water

The Brahmaputra, Dharla, Teesta, and Dudhkumar rivers in Kurigram are witnessing a steady rise in water levels, leading to the trapping of approximately 12,000 families residing in low-lying areas across nine upazilas of the district.

As a result, the plight of the flood-affected people has intensified, with the families in the Char areas suffering the most.

Particularly in the Brahmaputra basin, they find themselves in dire distress as their homes remain submerged for five consecutive days. Many have been forced to abandon their houses and seek refuge on boats and elevated surfaces and face a scarcity of dry food and clean water.

More than two hundred families, residing in ten chars including Purba Baladoba, Kalir Alga, Musarchar, and Sadar Char in the Brahmaputra river basin of Ulipur Upazila, have evacuated their homes and are currently living in inhospitable conditions aboard boats and elevated areas.

These families are unable to cook meals properly. Moreover, they are grappling with a lack of access to dry food and clean water due to the submersion of tube wells. Adding to their woes, the communication system has been disrupted, severing the rural road network in the river basin.

Additionally, approximately 100 hectares of land in the district have been inundated, resulting in submerged crops and posing difficulties for the flood-affected populace in providing fodder for their livestock.

Bangladesh Water Development Board's Kurigram office said that water levels in all rivers of Kurigram remain below the danger level. As of noon, the Dudhkumar river's water level at the Pateshwari point is 4 cm below the danger level. Similarly, the Dharlar Setu point in Kurigram Sadar records a water level of 39 cm, Nunkhawa point on the Brahmaputra river at 55 cm, Chilmari point at 61 cm, and Kaunia point on the Teesta river at 89 cm, all below the danger level.

Expressing his concerns, Abdur Rahman from Baladoba Char said that 49 families reside in the char.

He said, "Most of the houses here are partially submerged in water. Many people are abandoning their homes and seeking shelter in elevated areas and boats. Due to the sinking of tube wells, clean water is scarce. Many individuals are compelled to survive on a single meal a day because cooking facilities are severely hampered."

Momin, a resident of Baniapara of Panchgachi Union in Sadar, expressed his distress, saying, "Although the water level has receded, our surroundings are still flooded. I am anxious about the possibility of the water level rising again. All the vegetable fields are submerged. I have been severely affected by this flood."

Md. Abdullah Al-Mamun, the executive engineer of the Kurigram Water Development Board, informed that water levels are beginning to recede in the rivers of Kurigram.

He said, if there is no further rainfall, the flood situation will improve rapidly.

Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram, Mohammad Saidul Arif, assured that all necessary preparations have been made to address the flood situation.

"We have sufficient cash and dry food stockpiled, and the UNO and UP chairmen have been instructed to take immediate action when required. Relief distribution has already commenced," he said.