Rangpur: The government has allocated only Tk 40 lakh, 2,200 tonne rice, and 5,000 bags of dry foods so far for distribution among the flood affected people of Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts.

The district administrations have received 1,147 tonnes of rice and Tk 20.77 lakh till Tuesday and upazila administrations in association with local public representatives have been distributing those among the flood-and erosion-hit people.

The concerned district administrations still have reserves of 1,053 tonnes of rice and Tk 19.23 lakh in their hands now for distribution, if necessary any time.

According to official sources, about 13 lakh people of over 3.18 lakh families have been affected by current flood in these five districts where the flood situation continues deteriorating in most places with little improvement in few areas.

Sources in Rangpur district administration on Tuesday told BSS that the government has allocated 150 tonnes of rice and Tk 5 lakh, and of them, 33 tonnes of rice and Tk 1.22 lakh have so far been distributed among the flood-affected people.

A total of 9,050 people of some 2,000 families have been affected by flood in 52 villages under 11 unions of three upazilas in the district where the flood situation has marked little improvement today in the affected areas.

District Relief and Rehabilitation officer (DRRO) of Nilphamari Tazul Islam said about 12,600 people of 2,800 families have been affected by flood in 16 villages under eight unions of two upazilas in the district.

‘The government has allocated 500 tonnes of rice, Taka 10 lakh and 900 bags of dry foods each containing 5 kg rice, one kg pulse, sugar, salt and ‘chira’, one litre soybean oil, 500 gram puffed rice, one dozen candles and two dozens matches,’ he said.

Of them, 103 tonnes of rice, Taka 4.30 lakh in cash have so far been distributed among the flood-affected people of Nilphamari where the flood situation marked improvement with recession in water level of the Teesta during the past 24 hours.

DRRO of Lalmonirhat AKM Idris Ali told BSS that the government has allocated 600 tonnes of rice, Taka 11 lakh and 1,750 bags of dry foods for distribution among the flood affected people in the district.

About 1.60 lakh people of 35,568 families have been affected by the current flood in 72 villages under 21 unions of five upazilas in the district where the flood situation marked improvement in the western side while deteriorated in the eastern side.

‘We have already distributed 411 tonnes of rice, Taka 6 lakh and 1,750 bags of dry foods among the flood-hit families in the district,’ Idris Ali added.

Kurigram DRRO Abdul Mottalib said some five lakh people of over 1.35 lakh families have been affected by flood in 712 villages under 55 unions all nine upazilas and the situation mostly continued to deteriorate during the past few days.

The government has allocated 500 tonnes of rice, Taka 8 lakh and 1,000 bags of dry foods and the district administration has so far allocated 400 tonnes of rice, Taka 7.25 lakh and the dry foods for distribution among the affected people in Kurigram.

Gaibandha DRRO Habibur Rahman said some six lakh people of over 1.43 lakh families have been affected by flood in 180 villages under 31 unions of four upazilas in the district where the overall flood situation has still been deteriorating.

The government has allocated 450 tonnes of rice, Taka 6 lakh and 1,000 bags of dry foods and the administration has been distributing 200 tonnes rice, Taka 2 lakh, 1,000 bags of dry foods and more dry foods purchased at Taka 5 lakh among flood-hit people of Gaibandha.

According to sources in Water Development Board (WDB), the Dharla was flowing above its danger mark (DM) by 98cm at Kurigram, Ghaghot by 58cm at Gaibandha, Brahmaputra by 80cm at Chilmari and 50cm above its DM at Fulchhari points at 9am today.

Meanwhile, standing crops on 10,577 hectares of land, including T-Aman on 5,611 hectares, Aman seedbed on 2,555 hectares, vegetables on 1,006 hectares, jute on 696 hectares and aus crop on 722 hectares have been submerged in these five districts so far.

‘We are monitoring the situation to asses the crop damages and take up agri-rehabilitation programmes after recession of the flood waters,’ Rangpur Regional Additional Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension Shah Alam said.