Bangladesh floods: Electricity partially restored in Feni city

Dhaka, Aug  25: Electricity was partially restored at Feni in Bangladesh after the flood water significantly receded, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Mobile network and internet woes still continue with spotty network in the area as of Friday, the Bangladeshi daily reported.

Residents said that water has fully drained from Mohipal Road and power is available in parts of Feni city, including the DC Office and its surrounding areas.

Although trucks with supplies and rescue equipment are entering the city, the rural areas of the district still await fresh water and dry rations.

A resident of Feni city, Mohammad Riazul Hasan, told the Dhaka Tribune, "The water level in the municipality area is significantly lower. But I heard that other areas are still inundated."

Riazul said the canals were overflowing in the downstream area in Sonagazi.

Rescue volunteers suffered from foot fungus due to prolonged exposure to water.

Dhaka Tribune quoted Abdullah Al Mamun, a volunteer in Feni, as saying, "We have tried to reach Sonagazi on Friday. But we failed as we do not have speedboats."

Mamun said that load shedding and spotty mobile network caused difficulty in communication, which hampered the rescue process.

Mamun also said the water level in other parts went down by 5-6 inches.

Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday urged all parties to cooperate in addressing health and food risks once floodwaters recede, the Dhaka Tribune stated.

On August 22, Chittagong floods worsened after nine upazillas submerged, and 45,916 families, which had 2,48,050 individuals, were facing severe distress, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Chittagong District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Saifulah Majumder said that 800 tons of rice have been allocated for disaster relief, with 200 tons distributed across the affected areas.

Between August 19-21, over 3.5 lakh people were stranded in Feni city due to flooding after water entered the city through breeches, Dhaka Tribune reported.