Unlike other areas of greater Sylhet, the flood situation is deteriorating in haor areas of Mopulvibazar as waters are flowing into those from Kushiyara and Monu rivers.

Our Staff Correspondent reports from Sylhet:

Sixty year-old widow Sitara Begum and four others of her family are on a boat for five days in --- village.

"A man came on Saturday and gave us some chira (dry food). We take this twice a day, but no water", she told this correspondent on Sunday.

The village is near the Kushiyara river. But the river can not be demarcated now. There are vast sheets of water all around, dotted by trees with most of the homesteads under water.

Only a small stretch of the pucca road in the village is dry, where flood victims have taken shelter.

Almost all dwellings in the area have gone under water, forcing people to shift to high lands, flood shelters or relatives' houses in other areas.

Flood hit the region twice in only ten days, local people said.

Sitara said she neither got any rice crop this year nor could retrieve any of her household belongings from floodwater.

Elderly Kola Miah and 45 year-old Nuruddin were on makeshift raised platforms built with bamboo as their houses are inundated. They said they are without food for two days. Flood took away their crops earlier. They sent their cows to relatives' houses in Burikiary and Munshibazar villages in Rajnagar upazila.

They are not leaving the inundated homesteads apprehending theft or dacoity.

"We do not know what will happen to us and our cattle. There is no food and fodder", worried Kola Miah said.

"We may survive on doles but our cattle will die for want of fodder", he said.

The situation in other areas has improved a little. But it is reverse in several upazilas in the Kushiyara basin with a rise in the water level.

Day labouder Femai Biswas of Mainpur village has no work for the last eight days.

"I do not know I will survive with two others of my family. Our kutcha house is under four feet water for seven days".

Surendra Biswas and Sushanta Biswas and their families were seen on rafts. Their families were cooking khichuri (food prepared with water, rice and pulses).

The Fenchiganj upazila headquarters was under four feet water and the Kushiyara was flowing 165 centimetres above the danger level Sunday afternoon.

The upazila complex is inundated with knee deep water for seven days.

As floodwater entered the upazila food godown, the stock was shifted to officials' quarters. Boats are plying alongside vehicles on the highway.

Ferry service on the Kushiyara on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway is suspended since July 18 as pontoons on both sides have been inundated.

Vehicles going to Dhaka now use the alternative road via Sherpur amid risks as that is also inundated at places.

According to official sources, 75,000 people have been badly affected by floods this time in the Fenchuganj upazila.

The floods damaged 45 km embankments, 15 km roads completely and 100 km roads partially and 55 educational institutions.

They said only 72 tons of rice, Tk 55,000 and 32 tins of biscuit have been sanctioned, which is very scanty for the upazila.

However, some individuals and organizations came forward with food and other relief materials for flood victims.

The administration has opened six flood shelters. Some other shelters are being run by individuals including expatriates.

Our Moulvibazar Correspondent reports: The people of haor areas in the district are in a precarious condition because, unlike in other areas, the flood situation is deteriorating there as waters from Kushiyara and Monu rivers are flowing into those.

This correspondent during a visit to some of the haor areas on Saturday saw many people were without food for days.

"We have no food, no drinking water for two days. We got three kilograms of rice and two candles on Thursday", said Ankerullah at Berkuri village in Fatehpur union.

Surabala Das and her two grandsons were standing on a raft in front of her inundated hut, waiting for relief.

Ankerullah and Surabala are among hundreds of people in similar condition in Fatehpur and Panchgaon unions in Rajnagar upazila; Khalilpur and Akahil Kura unions in the sadar upazila, Bhukshimul, Bhatera and Baramchal unions in Kulaura upazilaas.

Most of the homesteads there are under five to seven feet water.

Even well to do families with no expatriate members are waiting for relief, many people said.

Forty-five year old Anwara Begum and her family have taken shelter on the Monu River Irrigation Project (MRIP) embankment with her household belongings and two cows.

She got five kilograms of rice from an organisation. But she is worried for her two cows. If those die for lack of fodder, her family will be simply helpless, she told this correspondent.

The situation in Kawadighi haor is the worst following collapse of the MRIP embankment. Waters from the Kushiyara and Monu are now flowing into the haor , which will bring horrifying days for the people in Fatehpur, Panchgaon, Khalilpur and Akhail Kura unions, local people said. The MRIP dam breached at some points on Tuesday night due to pressure of water.

Water Development Board officials in Moulvibazar said the flood situation will deteriorate in the haora and MRIP command areas.

Sixty out of 67 unions in six upazilas in Moulvibazar have been flooded, affecting at least 2, 50,000 people, according to official. They are estimating the flood damage including crop loss.

Some socio-cultural and political organisations are giving relief but those are scanty compared to the demand.

Our Bogra Correspondent reports: Several thousand flood affected people are passing days under the open sky on Dhanut-Sirajgong and Dhanut-Goshaibari roads virtually without food for about a week.

Till yesterday, no government relief team visited the affected people on the roads. Some private organisations gave doles, which was very insignificant, some of the people told this correspondent during a visit. Drinking water is also scarce in those areas.

About two lakh flood affected people of Bogra and Sirajgong out of about 16 lakh have taken shelter on roads and embankments.

Sources in Bogra District Relief and Rehabilitation office (DRRO) said 28 flood shelters have been opened in Bogra.

Civil Surgeon (CS) office sources said 125 medical teams including two from army are working in deferent areas in Bogra district.

District administration sources said about six lakh nine thousand 954 people have been affected by flood Bogra. Of them, at least 25,000 families in seven upazilas lost everything.