After five weeks of grappling with floods, Sylhet residents’ suffering becoming unbearable 

Despite flood waters starting to recede slowly again, the suffering of the people of Sylhet has reached extreme levels, especially in parts where the flooding has been constant since late May, coming in successive spells that allowed for no recovery from the previous one.

The fresh spell of flooding, that was the third in the space of five weeks with no respite in between, has inundated several hundred villages in the district causing immense suffering to its residents.

According to the Sylhet Water Development Board, the waters of Surma and Kushiara rivers were still flowing above the red mark at 4 points on Saturday afternoon.

Around 6 lakh people were stranded, houses were destroyed, livestock died, fish in ponds and farms were washed away, and crops and goods were damaged due to the devastating flood.

In addition, water-borne diseases are spreading among people. In many places, people are struggling to manage freshwater, baby food and fodder.

The district administration sources said on Saturday afternoon that around 5,88,287 people of 1,139 villages are stranded in water in Sylhet. As many as 9, 831 have taken shelter in the shelter centres.

Relief materials are being distributed among the flood-hit people.

Besides, the flood situation is being monitored from the control room set up in the district administration and each upazila administration office.

The medical team formed in each union is providing healthcare to the flood-affected people, it added.