United News of Bangladesh

The death toll from the ongoing floods in Sherpur has risen to nine after an eight-year-old girl drowned in flash floodwaters on Monday in the Koloshpar area of Nalitabari upazila. The victim, Jinia Begum, daughter of Jamal Uddin from Gazirkhamar area in Sherpur Sadar, drowned after being swept away by the floodwaters while visiting her grandparents' house. Md Masud Rana, Nalitabari Upazila Nirbahi Officer, confirmed the matter. In the last four days, a total of nine people, including two women and a child, have died in three upazilas of Sherpur due to the flash floods. Despite the loss of life, there has been some improvement in the overall flood situation, with water levels continuing to recede. Md. Nakibuzzaman Khan, Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board, said that the Bhogai River at Nalitabari Bazar point was flowing 160 cm below the danger level, while the Chellakhali River at Batkuchi point was flowing 82 cm below the danger level. The flood situation is expected to improve further in the coming days.

At least four people were injured in a clash between two factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over establishing dominance in the Joydebpur area of Gazipur. The confrontation occurred on Monday afternoon near the Kali Mandir in the district town, where local BNP leader Sourav’s group clashed with a group led by Jubo Dal leader Monirul Islam Sagar. Both sides engaged in chase and counter-chase, which escalated into a violent conflict. Among the injured are BNP man Shafiqul Islam Tito and Jubo Dal leader Sagar. The identities of the two could not be confirmed. Shawkat Hossain Sarkar, president of Gazipur Metropolitan BNP, confirmed that he had been informed about the clash and was looking into the matter. Rahedul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Joydebpur Police Station, said one of the injured was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to the severity of their condition, while another was under treatment at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital.

Three more bodies have been retrieved from several areas of flood-hit Sherpur district, raising the death toll from the natural disaster to eight. The deceased were identified as Muktar Hossain, 50, of Kurekanda village under Urpa union, Abdur Razzak, 60, of Gazaria Kingkarpur village under Ganpaddi union and Ujjal Mia, 35, of Jalalpur village, all hailed from Nakla upazila of the district. Though the flood situation in 15 unions under Nalitabari, Jhenaigati and Sreebardi upazilas was improved, situation in some 12 unions and a municipality of Nakla upazila worsened. Sherpur flood situation worsens as 8 more unions are inundated People who took refuge at shelter centres are returning to their homes where the flood waters drained out. District Water Development’s Executive Engineer Md Nakibuzzaman Khan said water in Chellakhali and Bhogai rivers was flowing below danger level. He said the rivers were flowing 77 and 133 cm below the danger level at Batkuci and Nalitabari Bazar points. Although there is no hydro measuring point, the Maharashi and Someshwari Rivers now have normal water flow. The engineer forecast that the water level of the rivers will decrease further and the flood situation will improve in a day or two if there is no heavy rain. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, Aman paddy on 46,790 hectares of land, vegetable on 1,200 hectares and ginger cultivated in five upazilas of Sherpur were submerged, causing losses to at least 1,72,630 farmers.   District Primary Education Officer Md Obaidullah said 242 government primary schools in the district have been closed due to flooding.  3 die as flood situation deteriorates in Sherpur; army joins rescue operation Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, Red Crescent Youth Volunteers and non-government volunteers are carrying out rescue operations in the flood-hit areas of the district. The district administration is distributing relief materials, dry food and water among the flood victims. Sherpur Deputy Commissioner Torofdar Mahmudur Rahman said relief distribution will continue.   Work is underway to prepare a list of the affected people, he said, adding that all kinds of assistance will be provided to the flood victims. Assistance for rehabilitation will also be provided to the victims after the water recedes completely and the higher authorities were informed, he added. Alongside the government, several political parties have come forward to stand by the flood-hit people with dry foods and other materials.

A shipment of 231,840 eggs was imported from India through the Benapole land port on Sunday evening. The consignment arrived on an Indian truck, confirmed Sheikh Zahidur Rahman, Revenue Officer of the Benapole Customs Cargo Branch. This is the second time eggs have been imported from India through the Benapole land port. The previous shipment of 231,000 eggs arrived on September 9. According to customs sources, an Indian truck carrying 1,104 boxes of eggs entered Bangladesh. Each box contained 210 eggs. The total import value of the eggs stands at 9,969 US dollars. Importers paid 33% government revenue on the invoice value, bringing the total cost of each egg to Tk 7, inclusive of all expenses. In light of this, importers have requested duty exemptions on egg imports, similar to those on onions and potatoes. The Dhaka-based importing firm, Hydro Land Solution, imported the 231,840 eggs from Shri Laxmi Narayan Bhandar, a Kolkata-based exporter. Ratul International, acting as the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent on behalf of the importer, has submitted the necessary documents to the Customs House for the release of the shipment. Vinay Krishna, officer of the Livestock Department in Benapole, confirmed that the eggs are fit for consumption following inspection. He added that necessary measures are being taken to expedite the release of the consignment. Ravindra Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Benapole Customs House, said that the consignment is being stored at the transshipment yard of Benapole land port. The shipment will be cleared as soon as the revenue is collected, with customs officials at the yard instructed to facilitate prompt release.

The district administrations have requested tourists to refrain from visiting hill districts Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari from October 8 to 31, citing security concerns. Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner Md. Shahiduzzam said the decision was taken in light of several recent incidents in Khagrachhari. Considering the situation, tourists are being discouraged from visiting local attractions until the end of October to ensure their safety. Violence erupted in Khagrachhari and Rangamati districts on September 19 and October 1, resulting in damages to several homes and businesses.

The flood situation in the country’s northeastern district of Sherpur has worsened further as eight more unions in Nakla and Sadar upazilas have been inundated.  The death toll from the flood in the district stood at five as bodies of two brothers, who went missing in the flood, were retrieved in Nannir Kutubakura area under Nalitabari upazila on Saturday evening. Currently, some two lakh people in Nalitabari, Jhenaigati, Sreebardi, Nakla and Sadar upazilas of the district are stranded. The water in Bhogai River was flowing above the danger level at Nakugaon point of the district on Sunday morning.   According to Roads and Highways Department sources, water is flowing over Nalitabari-Nakla road due to the rise in the water level in the low-lying areas. Vehicular movement on the Sherpur-Nalitabari road via Gazirkhamar has been suspended since Saturday due to flooding.  The RHD is trying to resume communication on the Nalitabari-Sherpur via Tinani road temporarily by dumping sand bags on Sunday after a day of disruption due to floods in Ranigaon area.  Sources said upazila administrations of Nalitabari and Jhenaigati have been preparing a list of damages as hundreds of homes, structures, croplands were damaged and fish enclosures were washed away, causing a huge amount of loss.  D Sukolpa Das, deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district, said that Aman paddy planted on 35,000 hectares of land and vegetables of 1,000 hectares of land were damaged.  The extent of damages caused by the flood will be determined once the waters recede, he said.  District Water Development’s Executive Engineer Nakibuzzaman Khan said that the flood situation in the district will improve by Monday as water in all the rivers will decrease.  Sherpur Deputy Commissioner Torofdar Mahmudur Rahman said they have already distributed bags of relief aid among the flood-hit people and rescue by the Army and Bangladesh Border Guard personnel is on.  He said works on preparing the list of flood-victims are on.

Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam inspected the near-completion of a state-of-the-art steel silo for wheat, part of the Maheshwarpasha Modern Food Preservation Project, during a site visit this morning. Located within the Maniktala Food Warehouse along the Bhairab River, the project is designed to modernize wheat storage in Bangladesh. The Deputy Commissioner toured the facility and then held a meeting with Food Department officials and Max Group representatives, the contractor responsible for the construction. He inquired into the progress and expressed keen interest in ensuring the timely completion of the remaining work. The project, with a budget of BDT 355.91 crore, is set to be completed by December 2024, with 82.2% of construction already finished.  Jhenaidah farmers making good profit by cultivating off-season cauliflower, cabbage Officials on site informed the Deputy Commissioner that the final stages are expected to be completed within the next two months. The silo, construction of which began on January 12, 2022, is being developed through a joint venture between Bangladesh's Max Group and Turkish firm Altuntas. The Bangladesh government and the World Bank are co-funding the initiative.  Once operational, the silo will have the capacity to store 76,200 metric tons of wheat, preserving it for up to three years without degradation in quality. This will be achieved through advanced technology that eliminates human contact with the stored grain.  The facility consists of six massive storage bins, each capable of holding 12,700 metric tons of wheat.

A total of 410 metric tons of hilsa have been exported to India in seven consignments through Benapole land port. The exports went through over several days, with 54 tons sent in 20 trucks on Thursday last week, 45 tons in 15 trucks on Saturday last week, 19 tons in 6 trucks on Sunday, 89 tons in 30 trucks on Monday, 69 tons in 23 trucks on Tuesday, 92 tons in 30 trucks on Thursday, and 42 tons in 13 trucks this evening. 165 fishermen jailed for defying hilsha ban The export price for hilsa is set at 10 dollars per kg, equivalent to approximately Tk 1,180. Mahbubur Rahman, an officer of Fisheries Inspection and Quality Control Center at Benapole, commented on the relatively low export price, saying that the export order was established several years ago. At that time, the price of 10 US dollars per kg was determined based on the market rates. Exports are still being conducted according to that order, but adjustments may be made to align hilsa prices with domestic market rates. Hilsha selling like hot cake in wholesale market Rashedul Sajib Nazir, Deputy Director of Benapole Land Port, confirmed that since Thursday last week until this evening, 410 metric tons of hilsa have been exported to India. However, he noted that exporters must complete all hilsa shipments to India by October 12, as per the directive from the Ministry of Commerce.

At least 20 people were killed and 24 others injured in 24 road accidents across Sylhet division in September, according to a voluntary organisation’s report. The report, prepared by Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA), highlighted Sylhet district as having the highest number of casualties, as the district recorded 10 deaths and 13 injuries in 10 separate road accidents. Two killed in Dinajpur road accident In Sunamganj, two people died and two others were injured in three road accidents. In Moulvibazar, four people were killed and four more were injured in four separate incidents. Meanwhile, Habiganj reported six deaths and five injuries in seven road accidents.   NISCHA compiled this information from reports published in local newspapers, online portals, national dailies, as well as its own sources within its Sylhet branch. Among the 20 people killed, 13 were motorcyclists or their pillion riders, while three were drivers or passengers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and Legunas. Five pedestrians also lost their lives in accidents. The report noted that six fatalities were due to loss of vehicle control, and two deaths occurred after collisions with trees or electric poles. The victims included 15 men, three women, and two children. Road safety remains a serious concern in Sylhet, with local authorities and organisations like NISCHA working to raise awareness and reduce accidents through various initiatives.

Heavy and torrential rains since Friday morning have inundated the main roads and lanes in Chandpur town, causing suffering to commuters and disrupting normal life. Locals the waterlogging was created due to faulty drainage, making it almost impossible to move. Roads are devoid of vehicles, and people are largely staying indoors unless absolutely necessary. Incessant rains throw life out of gear in Dhaka Vikas Ghosh, a vendor selling fermented milk drink near Court Station are, expressed his frustration, saying, "I have been here since 6 am with my drinks, but by 9 am, I haven't sold anything. There are no people around."