Kurigram Correspondent

Around 3,000 people have been marooned in the low-lying and char (river island) areas of Bhurungamari upazila in Kurigram as the Dudhkumar River overflowed its banks.

The sudden inundation follows three consecutive days of relentless heavy rainfall coupled with an influx of hilly torrents from upstream India. The flash flood has submerged vital roads and rural walkways, completely snapping local communication links and plunging thousands of residents into severe hardship.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Kurigram Water Development Board (WDB), the water level of the Dudhkumar River was recorded at 29.84 meters at the Pateshwari point at 3:00 PM on Monday. With the danger level for the river set at 29.60 meters, the river was flowing 24 centimeters above the danger mark. WDB officials warned that water levels across various rivers in the district are likely to rise further, which could trigger a short-term flood situation in the region.

The rising waters have devastated local agriculture, drowning extensive fields of seasonal vegetables and other crops across various chars. In the Dudhkumar basin, floodwaters have entered over 400 homes in Dakshin Tilai and Dakshin Chhat Gopalpur villages under Tilai union. Similarly, a significant number of river islands and low-lying villages across Paikerchhara, Sonahat, Char Bhurungamari, and Andharijhar unions have been severely inundated, leaving residents stranded.

Displaced riverbank residents, including Hashem Ali and Abdul Jalil, shared their distress, stating that they are struggling to safeguard their domestic cattle and poultry from the rising waters while living in constant fear of aggressive riverbank erosion. Highlighting the scale of the crisis, Paikerchhara Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Razzak confirmed that more than 300 families in Paikdanga and Chit Paikerchhara villages remain waterlogged.

Meanwhile, Tilai Union Parishad Chairman Kamruzzaman reported that over 400 families across three wards in his union are stranded, noting that they had not received any emergency relief as of Monday evening.

The local administration has initiated emergency relief measures. Bhurungamari Upazila Project Implementation Officer Sabuj Kumar Gupta stated that 30 metric tonnes of rice have already been allocated for urgent relief distribution across the affected areas, including Silkhuri, Tilai, Paikerchhara, Char Bhurungamari, Andharijhar, Boldia, Banga Sonahat, and Bhurungamari Sadar unions.

Bhurungamari UNO Amrito Debnath assured that the administration is fully prepared to tackle the situation, having opened a round-the-clock control room.