(ANS – Utrail) – “Until a week ago, people in Durgapur Upazilla, Bangladesh, were praying for rain to save their crops. But now they are praying for the rain to stop in order to save at least their lives and the livestock from the fury of the raging river Someswari, which has already broken its banks in several places along its course.”  This was what the Salesians in Utrail wrote on 23^rd September.

The water level in all the rivers of Bangladesh is steadily inching towards the danger level, because of the recent spate of torrential rains for the past four days. The Someswari river, in the northern part of Bangladesh rises in the Indian state of Meghalaya and enters the plains of Bangladesh near Durgapur. In one day there has been an unprecedented rise in the water level. It has been threatening to flood the adjacent regions along the course of the river. On 21 September 2014, the water level in the river rose by 2.96 metres, which is 1.7 metres above the danger level. On the morning of 23 September it was reported that the river had broken its bank in three places and has inundated the villages, swallowed up the houses and deposited sand and mud in the fields. People are joining their hands in prayer for the rains to stop and the water to recede, so that they can rebuild their homes and lives.

Fr. Francis Alencherry, SDB, rector of the Salesian community in Utrail, visited the flood-affected regions and spoke to the people. Later he said “The Salesians are studying the situation. Once the water recedes we will be able to gauge the damage done by the floods. Though we are not in a position to answer to this humanitarian crisis immediately, we will certainly help the flood-affected people to get back to normal life in the days to come. We will solve this repeated flooding with the long term solution we have in mind.”

Published 26/09/2014