The people of Manda and Atrai upazilas in Naogaon district have been affected by the rising water level of Atrai river in Naogaon due to the downpour and continuous rains coming down from the upper reaches.
As the water level has been rising for the last five days, the Atrai River flood control dam has been flooded. Hundreds of bighas of crop fields have been submerged. Hundreds of thousands of people from more than 50 villages in five unions of Manda and Atrai upazilas have been flooded.
It is learned that water is flowing into Kalikapur, Par-Nurulabad, Jokahat and Chakrampur of Manda upazila and Jatramul area of Atrai upazila through the previous erosion of the main flood control dam of Atrai river. It has inundated at least 60 villages in Mandar Nurulabad, Kashab and Bishnupur and Ahsanganj and Pachupur unions of Atrai upazila.
From Tuesday morning till noon, the flood-affected areas of Mandar including Kalikapur, Parshimulia, Nahla Kalupara, Bishnupur, Hulibari, Chakrampur, Shaharbari and 10-12 villages were submerged. Many people's homes, kitchens and backyards have been submerged. Many people have taken refuge in the high places of roads and dams. 20-25 families have taken shelter in tents with bamboo, straw and polythene on the Manda-Atrai dam road in Chakrampur area of Bishnupur Union.
Arifuzzaman Khan, executive engineer of the Naogaon Water Development Board, said the water level in the Atrai and Chhota Jamuna rivers had risen sharply in mid-July due to heavy rains and rising tides. At that time, about one and a half lakh people of 60-70 villages were flooded due to the breakage of dams in several places in Manda and Atrai upazilas.
The water has been declining since the first week of August. Some repairs were also made to the previous demolition sites. However, for the last five days, the waters of Atrai and Chhota Jamuna have been rising again. Hundreds of thousands of people in more than 50 villages of Manda and Atrai upazilas have been affected by the floods.
Regarding dam repair, he said that due to high erosion and lack of time, repair work of Atrai main flood control dam could not be completed in Mandar Par-Nurulabad, Chakrampur and Jokahat and Jatramul areas of Atrai upazila.