80 schools closed due to flood in Gaibandha

As many as 80 schools located at four upazilas of Gaibandha district have been closed due to floods caused by incessant rain and hilly waters from upstream.

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) office sources said with the rise of water level in the Brahmaputra the river was flowing over 87 cm over the danger level at Fulchharighat point of the district at 9am on Friday.

As a result, the chars located at the eastern side of the mighty river and river basins on the western side under four Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Saghata upazilas here have been flooded creating untold sufferings.

Subsequently, a total of 28, 928 families of the upazilas have also been marooned.

Many affected families had taken shelter on the flood control embankment with their belongings including domestic animals.

The schools which are located in the chars under 24 unions of the upazilas went under waist-deep water. Meanwhile, the schools which are located in the river basin areas are surrounded by flood water. Flood water also entered the school grounds and the classrooms.

At this moment, the environment is not conducive to academic activities.

Taking the matter to cognizance, the concerned authority declared the closure of 80 schools in the district.

Of them 70 are Primary schools and the rest 10 are secondary schools.

District education officer Rokshana Begum and district primary education officer Md. Shahidul Islam confirmed it.

They also suspected that the number of closed schools might increase more because the district administration has prepared 181 schools as permanent and temporary flood shelter centres though no flood victims have taken shelter in the centers till the filing of this report at 4 pm.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kazi Nahid Rasul said all kinds of preparations have been taken by the district and upazila administrations to deal with the flood situation properly.

Dry food and rice are being distributed to the flood-affected people of the upazilas at the initiative of the administration to mitigate the sufferings caused by flood, she concluded.