The Hindu : International : Further flood fury forecast

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

International

International

Further flood fury forecast

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA: Floodwatesr continued to cause havoc in the Bangladesh's north-eastern, central and northern regions amidst a fresh forecast of further severity in the monsoon floods. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the worst-hit 17 districts of the country might face further flood fury. The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, called a meeting of the National Disaster Management Council on Thursday to review the situation. Scarcity of food, drinking water and fodder was reported from flood-hit areas. Diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases broke out in some districts where the flood situation has remained unchanged for a week. In the capital, certain areas including the central commercial district of Motijheel and Jatrabari are under knee-deep water, forcing people to use boats for commuting, replacing rickshaws and other motorised vehicles. City-dwellers were in serious difficulty getting drinking water. Floodwater also swamped some portions of roads passing through the capital's posh Gulshan area. "If the water level rose by another two feet, the water will spill over the Dhaka Town Protection Embankment," an alarmed official said. The flood situation in all areas surrounding the capital has taken a turn for the worst, affecting over one million people.

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