Cumilla Correspondent

At least 14 Upazilas of Cumilla district have been severely affected due to the devastating floods amid an onrush of runoff from India. According to the District Relief and Rehabilitation Office, the flooding has inflicted nearly Tk 33.62 billion worth of damages.

People incurred losses of over Tk 10.84 billion as the floodwater destroyed their homes.

However, the flood victims say the actual amount of the damage is much more than the estimated figure reported by the government.

Meanwhile, many areas in Nangalkot, Laksam, Monohargonj, Brahmanpara and Burichang Upazilas in the district are still under water.

In some areas, the floodwater is receding slowly. However, the overall flood situation in the region has improved over time.

According to the District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Mohammad Abed Ali, the floods have inflicted nearly Tk 33.62 worth of damage per the data received from every department so far.

Of the 14 Upazilas, Burichang was the worst hit by the floods. The losses incurred in this Upazila has been estimated at Tk 5.56 billion. Nangalkot Upazila counted nearly Tk 5.28 billion in losses, while the damage exceeded Tk 4.61 billion in Chauddagram Upazila.

In addition, Tk 3.92 billion in losses were incurred in Laksam, Tk 3.31 billion in Cumilla Sadar, Tk 2.58 billion in Brahmanpara, Tk 2.35 billion in Debidwar, Tk 1.75 billion in Monohargonj, Tk 1.21 billion in Barura, Tk 1.15 billion in Cumilla Sadar South, Tk 710 million in Lalmai, Tk 560 million in Titas, Tk 470 million in Muradnagar and Tk 90 million in Daudkandi.

A total of 8,674 houses were completely destroyed or washed away by the floodwaters, said Abed Ali.

Burichang suffered the most as more than 4,143 houses were completely destroyed in the floods.

In addition, over 3,000 houses in Cumilla Sadar, Chauddagram and Monohargonj Upazilas were destroyed.

The number of houses damaged in all the Upazilas is around 74,081. The floods have inflicted Tk 10.84 billion worth of damage due to the destruction of homes.

Flooding began to batter Cumilla since Aug 19. However, as time went on, the severity of the flooding increased throughout the region. On the night of Aug 22, the dams of the Gomti River broke in Burichang’s Burburia area. This caused the floodwater to wash away houses in Burichang and Brahmanpara Upazilas.

Transportation was also disrupted in the region as the majority of the roads were underwater. The floodwaters also made its way into surrounding areas. According to the District Fisheries Office, a total of 23,042 fish farms (ponds, lakes, fish enclosures) have been damaged by the floods in Cumilla.

The floodwater washed away 25,538.50 tonnes of fish, 10.28 tonnes of shrimp and nearly 100 million small fish. According to the current market price, fish worth Tk 3.58 billion, shrimp worth over Tk 50 million and small fish worth Tk 170 million were washed away due to the floods.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, severe flooding has caused significant damage to seedbeds of Aman, Aman saplings, vegetables, Aush seedbeds and sugarcane.

Cumilla has nearly 135,238 hectares of cultivated land.

Of this, 63,974 hectares have been damaged due to the floods. The total loss is estimated to be around Tk 8 billion.

In addition to damages incurred in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, Cumilla’s livestock situation has also been severely affected because of the intense flooding.

According to the District Livestock Office, the total loss in this sector exceeds Tk 3 billion. However, the damage could be much more.

District Fisheries Officer Belal Hossain said a preliminary list of losses incurred in the fisheries sector has been prepared. The loss is estimated to be around Tk 5 billion. The exact extent of the damage can be ascertained once the flood waters recede.

“The damage could be even greater,” he said.

Ayub Mahmud, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Cumilla, said: "Farmers in Cumilla have incurred huge losses in this year's flood. To overcome this loss, agricultural incentives, free fertiliser, seed distribution, assistance in taking small loans, free agricultural services and overall support are being provided."

District Livestock Officer Chandan Kumar Poddar said more than 4,000 cattle farms have been damaged in the district.

As such, nearly 209,000 animals have been affected.
Of them, 120,000 cows, 16 buffaloes, 30,000 goats and 700 sheep have been affected. The floods have killed at least 35 cows, three buffaloes, 171 goats and seven sheep.

In addition, 1,366,000 chickens and ducks from nearly 2,218 farms have been affected. More than a million chickens and 2,000 ducks have died due to the floods.

“This is not a final list. This is just the initial list. The full extent of the damage will be known once the flood waters recede,” said Poddar.

Cumilla Deputy Commissioner Khandoker Md Mushfiqur Rahman said: "The rehabilitation process of the flood victims will continue. We are providing all possible assistance to the flood victims."