A woman and a man wade through floodwater at Birishiri village in Durgapur upazila of Netrakona. PHOTO: STAR

Heavy rain in hill areas across the border in the last three days has triggered flash flood, inundating at least nine unions of Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas.

The affected unions are Birishiri, Gaokandia, Kakoirgora, Bakoljura and Chandigor in Durgapur upazila, and Kharnai, Rangchati, Borkapon and Pogla unions in Kalmakanda upazila.

About 500 thatched houses were badly damaged and nearly 80 percent of the newly transplanted aman seedlings and vegetables on several thousand acres of land went under water.

The River Someshwari in Durgapur marked sharp rise in the last three days and now flowing about 170 centimetres above the danger level, said Khushimohon Sarkar, executive engineer at Netrakona Water Development Board (WDB).       

WDB sources said, three other rivers-- Mogra, Kongsha and Dhanu, also swelled in the last couple of days, marooning thousands in the adjacent areas in Khaliajuri, Atpara and Madan upazilas.

Netrakona district fishery officials said, fishes worth Tk 5 crore were washed away as at least 600 ponds had been overflowed by floodwater in the affected unions.

Contacted, WDB executive engineer Khushimohon Sarkar said, flood situation may worsen as the major rivers continued rising due to onrush of water from the hills.