State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman said 64 upazilas in 10 districts in the north and south of the country were flooded. He said the flood-hit areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj are in dire straits. It is said that in the history of 122 years, there was no such flood in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
The state minister said this at an emergency news briefing on the flood situation in the country in the conference room of his ministry at the secretariat on Saturday.
Noting that the flood situation will worsen in the next two days, Enamur Rahman said, "Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in several parts of India. That is why the flood situation in our country will deteriorate further in the next two days. Water will start receding in Sylhet and Sunamganj from Tuesday and Wednesday. However, floods will occur in the central part of the country at that time.
The state minister said 80 per cent of Sylhet has been inundated by this year's floods. And Sunamganj has suffered the most. 80-90 percent area of Sunamganj has been submerged in water. He said the water level in the area has risen by four feet to eight feet in the last two days, which is unthinkable.
Enamur Rahman said the army, coast guard and navy were conducting rescue operations together to deal with the situation, adding that it would be possible to evacuate the victims by Saturday night (June 18). In the meantime, for the flood victims in Sylhet and Sunamganj, Tk 60 lakh has been provided in cash to the district administration fund, with which dry food including chira, murdi, biscuits are being provided. Besides, one and a half thousand tons of rice has been sent to the two areas. There is Rs 5 crore in hand, another Rs 20 crore has been sought from the General Relief (GR) Fund. Despite the deteriorating flood situation, all kinds of preparations are underway.
Stating that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is constantly monitoring the overall flood situation in the country, the state minister said that the Prime Minister is always looking for it. The activities are being carried out following his direction.