Sun News Desk: The Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet said, Bangladesh Army has joined the rescue operation of flood affected people. Army is being deployed in Companiganj and Gowainghat upazilas. Friday (June 17) at 10 a.m. Deputy Commissioner Mujibur Rahman has confirmed this information.

Deputy Commissioner also said that the administration is working sincerely to deal with the flood situation. Those whose homes have been flooded are being asked to move to shelters or safer places. Relief assistance is being provided to alleviate the food crisis. More army will join soon for rescue operations.

It is learned that the people of Sylhet are facing dire flood situation due to continuous rains and hill slopes. In just two days 11 upazilas of Sylhet have been flooded. Due to the continuous rain and the upstream slope, the water level is rising in all the upazilas including Sylhet city. Roads and houses in most areas have been submerged. The flood affected people of Sylhet are terrified due to the rapid rise in water level.

According to locals this time the flood may surpass the flood of 1986. The situation is so dire that people are not even getting shelter now. The administration is in a dilemma about making educational institutions as shelters for SSC examinations. As a result, the forest dwellers have become homeless. 

It was seen on the spot that many people gathered in front of the Government Pilot High School in Sylhet at 11 pm on Thursday. However, the school is not being allowed to be used as a shelter as it is designated as a center for SSC examinations. People are standing helplessly in the front porch of the school, in the van.

Meanwhile, the water of the ongoing catastrophic floods has entered the power plant and the whole of Sylhet is in danger of being plunged into darkness. Due to continuous rains and steep slopes, water has entered the power substations at Kumargaon and Barikandi in the city. Electricity is supplied to the whole of Sylhet through the substation of the national grid at Kumargaon. Meanwhile, flood water has entered the switch yard of 132/33 KV substation in Kumargaon. If the current situation continues to rise, water will soon enter the control room. At that time, the power supply in a large part of Sylhet will have to be cut off, said the concerned.

Meanwhile, Sylhet's senior meteorologist Saeed Chowdhury said the rains would continue for the next three to four days. If the rains continue like this, the flood situation may worsen.