Rivers in Sunamganj are rising steadily as hill torrents pour down from upstream. At midday on Thursday, 9 July, the Shaktiarkhola road in Bishwambharpur and the Anwarpur road in Tahirpur went under water again, cutting the direct road link between Sunamganj district and Tahirpur upazila.

Heavy to very heavy rain has fallen for two days running in Sunamganj and in Cherrapunji in India, and every river in the district is rising fast, swollen further by the hill torrents. More than a lakh people have been affected by the submerged roads.

Mamunur Rahman, travelling from Tahirpur to Sunamganj, told Jagonews24: "This road goes under whenever the hill torrents come down. It is truly painful. We cannot accept this suffering year after year."

Another traveller, Azad Mia, said: "My younger sister is admitted to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital and her condition is critical. With the road under water I have to travel by boat, which has raised both the cost and the hardship."

Rezaul, who carries goods by auto-rickshaw from Sunamganj to Tahirpur, said: "The torrent is crossing the road from one side to the other with a strong current. But I have to get these goods to Tahirpur somehow, because if I deliver them I will earn a little extra money."

According to the Sunamganj Water Development Board, 265 millimetres of rain was recorded in the district in the previous 24 hours, the highest this year. The Surma was flowing 0.53 centimetres below the danger level.

The district administration says a flood could develop within the next few days, given the weather forecast and the hill torrents. Preparations have been made at district and upazila level: shelters readied in every upazila, volunteer and medical teams formed, water-purification tablets stocked and boats kept ready, with all offices on alert.

Mehedi Hasan Hridoy, assistant commissioner at the Deputy Commissioner's office, said the administration had made every preparation to deal with a flood or other disaster.

Md Emdadul Haque, executive engineer-2 of the Sunamganj Water Development Board, said a flood could develop in the district if the rain and hill torrents continue, adding that roads in Bishwambharpur and Tahirpur had already gone under.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.