Over 8.3 lakh stranded in Cumilla; new areas flooded

New areas of Cumilla’s Debidwer upazila have become submerged in 24 hours till 8:00am today.
The total number of people stranded by the widespread flooding in the district has reached 8.3 lakh, Md Abed Ali, district relief officer, told The Daily Star.
There are over 45 villages in the three unions which got flooded over the 24-hour period.
“Already 182 villages in Burichang and Brahmapara upazila have been affected….64,000 people took shelter at 724 centers” he said.
Abdul Latif, superintendent engineer of Water Development Board, Cumilla Eastern, said, the water in Gumti river started to recede but it was still flowing 50 cm above the danger level.
The rate of decreasing the water level is 2-3 cm per hour, he said.
Debidwer upazila’s Fatehpur, Subil, Boroshalghal unions have submerged under floodwater.
Nigar Sultana, upazila Nirbahi officer of Debidwer upazila, said, “As the Boroshalghar union submerged, its adjacent Yusufpur was also affected.”
Monirul Islam, a fishery owner of Boroshalghar village said, ” Flood has washed away from all fisheries of our village. I have lost around Tk 3 lakh fish in this flood water.”
Subrata Goshawmi, upazila fishery officer of Debidwer, said, “Already over 500 ponds and fisheries over 2,500 acres of land have been flooded.”