Sylhet Bureau

Sylhet is suffering from the second major flooding incident within 20 days affecting two lakh people on Tuesday morning across all the upazilas and over half of the metropolitan city.

The onrush of upstream water from India's hilly areas into Surma River has also submerged different parts of Sunamganj municipality. Incessant rains across large parts of Sylhet division have added to the crisis.

In Sylhet district, the local Water Development Board reported waters flowing above danger level at six points in four major rivers on Tuesday.

Sylhet district commissioner Sheikh Russell Hassan said, "The flood situation is worsening fast. The district administration is prepared to handle the crisis. About 538 shelters in the district have already been opened."

About 343 people took shelter in five upazilas on Monday night following Eid day celebrations.

Locals in many parts of Sylhet city claimed the situation on the 2nd day of Eid (Tuesday) became even worse compared with the Eid day's sufferings with many new roads and houses submerged.

Many in the city could not perform sacrificial rituals even on the second day of Eid, with uncertainties remaining on Wednesday -- the third and final day for performing sacrifices.

A local meteorologist claimed the district experienced 58-millimetre rainfall from 6.00am to 12.00pm Tuesday. Sylhet Meteorological Department has forecast rains to continue through the next two days.

In India's Cherapunji, 395-millimetre rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours till 6am Tuesday, significantly contributing to the rise in water levels of Sylhet rivers.

On Eid day, the district administration distributed meat of sacrificed animals, dry foods, saline and medicine among the marooned people.

Floodwaters had reached all the upazilas and most of the Sylhet city by Monday morning, and on Tuesday morning local sources claimed two lakh people became waterlogged.

On top of the city's low-lying areas, several parts of Airport Road, Sylhet-Tamabil Road, and Bangabir Road in South Surma also went underwater on Tuesday.

In the upazilas, many villages have been cut off due to breakdown of road communication, many farmlands have gone underwater damaging large amount of crops, and fish have escaped overflowing ponds.