Flood-hit people in Sylhet, Sunamganj signal helicopter for aid as water levels recede

From a helicopter of the Bangladesh Air Force, which had flown there to distribute relief materials on Wednesday, the flooded regions appeared to be islands.

The dampened yards of the houses, however, could still be discerned as the army troopers pointed out that all of that was inundated even two days ago.

Upon hearing the sound of the helicopter, people got out of their homes and stretched out their arms toward it calling for aid.

The skies of Sunamganj’s Tahirpur were overcast in the morning, but there was no rain. The helicopter distributed relief materials, which included waterproof wrappings containing food and matches, among the flood-affected people in four remote areas of Tahirpur.

The BAF said men flew on four helicopters and two jets to hand out 800 packets of relief materials among the people in remote regions of Sylhet and Sunamganj on Wednesday.

A Bell 212 helicopter gave out relief materials in four locations at Sreepur, Chanbari and Joysree Bazar, and later inspected several areas in Sylhet. Many people could be seen waving their arms to draw attention there as well.

Water also descended from roads in places, but some were broken. Small vehicles were stuck in several spots where the water had ripped away roads near bridges.

People left drenched crops and household items to dry in areas where the water had gone down. However, the bottom floors of many educational institutions were still inundated.

The water level dropped a bit in Sunamganj, but it wasn't possible to restore road connection to most of the areas.

The Bell 212 pilot Wing Commander Md Etesham, who had been distributing relief materials since Jun 19, said the situation on Wednesday was much better than the preceding days of the floods.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre made it official that the water level is dropping in Sylhet.

Heavy rains and mountain runoff triggered a devastating flooding in Sylhet and Sunamganj last week, inundating Kurigram and surrounding lowland districts. Regions in 13 districts are flooded to different degrees.

The Directorate General of Health Services reported 42 flood-caused deaths over the past months in these regions.