The river water in the north-eastern part of the country suddenly swelled up from the upstream of the Indian border. The dams of Muhuri, Kahua and Ceylonia rivers broke and drowned one town after another. Dighinala of Khagrachhari, eight upazilas of Noakhali, Akhaura and Koshba of Brahmanbaria, Sajek of Rangamati, Cumilla, Feni, two upazilas of Moulvibazar, Mirshorai of Chattogram, Chandpur, Sylhet and Habiganj were affected by the terrible floods. Feni Sadar, Parashuram, Fulgazi, Dagonbhuiyan and Chhagalnaiya upazilas were also affected by the flood.
Broadband internet has been cut off due to water. For not having electricity, the locals have been suffering with the mobile network. The flood situation has gradually become dire. Communication has been cut off in the flood affected areas. In such a situation, the local administration and various voluntary organizations have entered the field with relief assistance for the flood victims. Members of the Army, BGB Coast Guard, Fire Service are active in rescue operations. Volunteers and reform movement students are also active. Technology entrepreneurs are not also sitting idle.
On Wednesday (21 August) in the night, Coordinator Md. Abu Bakr Majumdar said that the anti-discrimination student movement is launching rescue operations and relief distribution programs across the country. The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement is launching a public fund-raising initiative to make the event a success. Calling all student movement coordinators and volunteers, it is said in this notification that you should form voluntary groups in your respective districts and upazilas in coordination with local voluntary organizations and the public. The central delegation will coordinate with you to conduct rescue operations and relief distribution activities for the people of the flood-affected areas.
Protirodh.net has already opened a subdomain for floods to coordinate with those affected by geolocation in a joint effort to connect rescuers and relief workers in affected areas. An online based solution includes live heatmaps based on Bangladesh Water Development Board data and various reports reaching entrepreneurs to identify affected areas. Signing up on this platform is visible on a live map showing which areas have enough volunteers and which areas need more volunteers. So here added, donation, volunteer login and report option.
Highlighting the horror, entrepreneur Iqbal Zahid Bahar said, since last night, all communication with Fulgazi and Parashuram has stopped… I am not getting anyone… Mobile network not working, no electricity…. There is no other way to go from Feni to Fulgazi and Parashuram except by speed boat. Millions of people are trapped in water in thousands of houses. Till yesterday I heard the sound of people crying, today I can’t know anything more. Our team is trying to rescue them and deliver some food but all are helpless when they come near….
Abdur Rahman, a resident of Satkuchia area of Parashuram, said that all the houses were submerged in the flood water. Can’t do rescue work properly due to strong current of water. Due to lack of electricity, mobile network, they have to suffer more.
Feni Electricity Development Board Executive Engineer Hossain Mahmud Shamim Farhad said that about 70 percent of customers are going without electricity. In various areas of the city, meters have been damaged due to water entering the ground floor of the buildings, so the electricity connection will remain off until the water recedes. Connectivity is unlikely to be restored before the flood waters recede.
Mehdi Hasan, an employee of a private organization in the capital, said that his house is in Fulgazi, Feni. Even though he is in Dhaka for the job, the family lives in the village. He has not been able to communicate with them since yesterday afternoon. The same situation was reported of a young woman from Fulgazi who came to Dhaka to study. He said that due to the lack of electricity, it seems that no one’s phone is charged at home. He is very worried about his family as he is unable to connect despite repeated calls.
General Manager of Feni Palli Bidyut Samiti, Howladar Fazlur Rahman said that more than 3 lakh out of 4 lakh customers in the district are going without electricity. Lines in various areas have been damaged due to heavy rain. According to his statement, the electricity connection was normal in few areas of Sonagazi and Dagonvuiyan upazilas of the district till 6 pm on Wednesday.
If the electricity is kept normal, it will be possible to reduce the panic in disaster situations by keeping the telecommunication system operational. In this regard, the President of the Mobile Phone Consumers Association, Mohiuddin Ahmed, has called for quick generator arrangements to keep the electricity supply and normalize the mobile BTS. At the same time, the interim government has requested the Minister of State for Telecommunication and Information Technology to deploy a team headed by BTRC and the Department of Telecommunications with the help of the army to the affected areas.
