People in flood-hit Kurigram district are suffering increasingly due to lack of pure drinking water, food and sanitation. Though water levels of almost all rivers have subsided to a large extent, some are still flowing above the danger mark. Still two lakh people in nine upazilas of the district are homeless. While some people have taken refuge in a number of temporary shelter homes, others are in makeshift tents on the roadside. Read: US to provide emergency flood relief for people in northern Bangladesh:Envoy According to the District Relief and Rehabilitation Centre, 1.41 lakh people have been rendered homeless. On the other hand, some 361 shelter homes have been set up in the district. Some 160 people have taken shelter in three temporary homes in Nageshwari upazila, officials said. Besides, 325 educational institutions have been closed due to the worsening flood situation in the district.

The flood situation in Kurigram district deteriorated further on Tuesday due to the swelling of major rivers caused by an onrush of water from the hills and incessant showers, rendering over two lakh people homeless. According to the local Water Development Board, the Brahmaputra river has been flowing 55cm and 23cm above the danger mark at Chilmari and Nunkhaoya points, respectively, while the Dharla river has been flowing 42cm above the red level at Setu point in the past 24 hours. The flood situation in Kurigram may worsen further, said Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board. Read: Flood situation remains grim across country According to health department sources, two children drowned in Rowmari and Ulipur upazilas, respectively, on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Maksuda Jannat, 11, daughter of Maidul Islam of Jamuna Sarkarpara village in Ulipur upazila, and Khalilur Rahman, one-and-a-half year-old son of Khalilur Rahman of Jadur Char union in Roumari upazila.

Some 35,000 people in Roumari upazila of Kurigam district have been marooned due to flash flood caused by recent heavy showers and onrush of water from hills. Fifteen villages in Datbhanga union of the upazila were flooded afresh on Monday as rivers flowing the areas continue to swell. The newly affected areas are – Char Gayata Para, Tekani village, Charkauwarchar, Charboyalmari, Okrakanda, Shaulmari, Mollarchar, Karaikandi, Mirzapur, Goulgram, New Chuliarchar, Bokbanda, Bikribil, Algarchar and Kashiabari. Read: Flash flood submerges fresh areas in Sherpur; Child drowns As many as 27 educational institutions in this area have been shut due to the worsening flood condition. The lack of food and drinking water is adding to the misery of the people of flood-hit areas. LGED engineer Jubayer Hossain said 22 kilometers of roads in Shaulmari, Roumari and Jadurchar Unions have been submerged in the recent flood. People are using boats to move from one place to another amid knee-to-waist deep water. Abdul Qayum Chowdhury, agriculture officer of the upazila, said 283 hectares of cropland were submerged in the upazila as Jinjiram, Dharni and Kaljani rivers keep swelling. Read: Sunamganj: Thousands affected by second round of flooding Roumari Upazila Project Implementation Officer Azizur Rahman said the low-lying areas of the upazila have been inundated due to heavy rains. The authority has so far allocated Tk 3 lakh for providing relief materials to the flood victims, he added. “A report has been submitted to the higher authorities and more relief will be provided again if allocation is given,” he added.  

Although school and college students across the country returned to their classes on Sunday after a long closure for Covid, the students of many primary, secondary schools and madrasas in Kurigram district are missing out the joy as they are bearing brunt of flooding. Some 200 schools and madrasas have been damaged by the recent floods in the district while seven schools that were washed away in Roumari, Nageshwari and Ulipur upazilas could not be reconstructed yet, officials said. They said the furniture of many schools were damaged due to prolonged closure and flooding while the roads connecting many schools are in very bad shape. Read: Flood in Kurigram getting worse - During a recent visit to Sardob Government Primary School along the Dharla River in Sadar upazila, the UNB correspondent found its ground fully under floodwater. Still, two students came to their school to submit their assignments wading through waist-deep water. Expressing his fear over the poor presence of students, Atul Chandra Roy, headmaster of Sardob Government Primary School, said, “Water is everywhere around the school. The roads connecting the school got damaged.” Matiar Rahman, a guardian of the school, said, “The road became unfit for movement as a number of big holes have developed on it, and it is just impossible for students to use this road.” Read: Flood, erosion leave 500 families homeless in Kurigram More worrying is that seven schools have recently gone into the gorge of the river due to its bank erosion. Bandula Kura Government Primary School in Ulipur upazila, Akbar Ali primary government school in Nageshwari upazila, Gatiasham Bagurapra Government Primary School in Razarhat upazila are among those. Meanwhile, Faluarchar Char Government Primary School and Ghughumari Government Primary School in Roumari upazila had been shifted last year due to erosion by the river. Now the furniture and valuables of the schools are getting damaged for lack of maintenance as those have been kept under the open sky. Read Fight the Flood: Safety measures to take before, during, after floods in Bangladesh Abdul Gafur, headmaster of Choto Kalua Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, said, “His school building stands threatened by erosion. Although the school reopened on Sunday, the presence of students was very thin.” Fazlur Rahman, headmaster of Sardob Ideal High School, said, “Many poor students, from class VII to X, went to different districts of the country in search of work due to the pandemic while many girl students have become victims of child marriage. So, the presence of students is now very low.” Shahidul Islam, Kurigram District Education Officer, said steps have been taken to ensure the continuation of smooth educational activities in the flood-hit schools. On Sunday, the students of schools and colleges in Bangladesh returned to their classrooms with much enthusiasm after an 18-month closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read Loom industry badly damaged by flood in Sirajganj

 In the five upazilas of Kurigram district, where residents are reeling from flooding, many families worry not only about being displaced from their homes, but also what's in store for their children as almost all the schools in the region have sustained permanent damage.

The fifth phase of flood in Kurigram has marooned 60,000 people, according to the UP chairmen of the flood-hit areas.

Residents of three northern districts who were among the first to bear the brunt of flooding caused by onrushing waters from upstream rivers saw no respite Sunday, as large parts of Kurigram, Shariatpur and Sunamganj remain inundated, with millions still marooned and their lives in dire straits. 

Flood situation in Nilphamari and Kurigram deteriorated further on Sunday  as water levels of Teesta, Brahmaputra and Dharla rivers marked rise inundating fresh areas.

Seven community radio stations in the northern regions of Bangladesh have started broadcasting programmes on flash flood situation to alert people to reduce loss.

Brahmaputra and Dharla rivers flowed above the danger level in Kurigram on Friday, inundating char areas.