The overall flood situation of the country further deteriorated. Road communication between Manikganj and its five upazilas snapped, as the roads went under floodwater. Many government offices, schools, colleges, marketplaces and homes were also inundated, our Manikganj correspondent reports.

Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said the water level of the Jamuna increased 10cm in 24 hours and was flowing 127cm above danger level at Aricha yesterday.

Meanwhile, people in the flood-affected north and north-eastern districts continue to suffer due to food and drinking water shortages, as most tube wells went under floodwater.

According to Inter Services Public Relations, Bangladesh Army would donate a day's salary of all its personnel to the chief adviser's relief fund for distribution among flood-affected people.

A child in Gaibandha, two in Rangpur and another child in Brahmanbaria drowned yesterday, making the death toll 54, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management officials said, adding that, around 57 lakh people in 34 districts were flood affected.

Three more bodies were recovered in the Tangail bridge collapse tragedy. Seven people are still missing.

The amount of food and water purifying tablets distributed among people were inadequate, while the food allocated to the districts are not being distributed accordingly, sources and flood-affected people alleged.

Amana Begum, 35, of Rajapur of Kalmakanda in Netrakona said she could not give any food to her three children for a day as she lost everything in the flood, reports our Netrakona correspondent.

"Today [Thursday] I went to the union parishad office for relief, but got nothing," she added.

"We lack drinking water as all the tube wells went under floodwater," said Fazilatunnessa, 62, of Jagannathpur under Khaliajuri upazila, who took shelter on higher grounds along with many others.

In Netrakona, where the flood situation deteriorated even further, 25 percent of the allocated relief food was distributed, local administration sources said.

Our staff correspondent in Bogra reports: Water-borne diseases are spreading among people in the flood-affected upazilas of Bogra and the number of water purifying tablets distributed by the government is inadequate.

The government distributed 90 tonnes of flattened rice and 215kg of molasses, insufficient compared to the amount required. Bogra district administration estimated the number of affected people is about 2.40 lakh. However, sources in Dhunat upazila claimed the number of flood-affected people in Dhunat alone is over 4 lakh.

According to FFWC, the Jamuna continued to swell at down-stream points of Sirajganj and Aricha and was flowing 35cm, 62cm, 77cm, 120cm and 127cm above danger levels at Noonkhawa, Chilmari, Bahadurabad, Sirajganj and Aricha.

The flood situation in Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Pabna and Tangail was deteriorating yesterday. The Padma continued to swell at all points and was flowing 144cm and 100cm above danger levels at Goalundo and Bhagyakul deteriorating the flood situation in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Dohar and Nawabganj upazilas of Dhaka.

The water level of the Meghna at Bhairab Bazar continued to rise and was flowing 53cm above danger level yesterday morning and is likely to rise further and inundate more low-lying areas of Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

Small rivers surrounding Dhaka and Narayanganj continued to swell and the Balu at Demra, the Lakhya at Narayanganj, the Tongi canal at Tongi were flowing 9cm, 19cm and 11cm above danger levels. The Turag at Mirpur is likely to cross danger level in the next 24 hours.

More low-lying areas in the eastern part of Dhaka city are likely to be inundated, while the flood situation in Netrakona, Sunamganj and Sylhet may remain unchanged.

Our Sirajganj correspondent reports: The district still has only one water treatment plant on an embankment and the flood-affected people need more water purifying tablets. The prices of essentials are skyrocketing in Sirajganj.

The district administration expressed dissatisfaction saying the municipality chairmen and ward commissioners were not cooperating enough in conducting relief distribution activities. The relief materials were also inadequate.

Our Rangpur correspondent reports: Two boys--Shimul, 6, and Likhon, 7--of Alam Biditor under Gangachara upazila drowned in the floodwater near Teesta embankment Wednesday night.

Even though the district administration distributed 17 tonnes of rice, most of the flood-affected people alleged that they received nothing from the government.

Our Tangail correspondent reports: Three more bodies were recovered yesterday taking the death toll to six in Tuesday's Baruria Bridge collapse tragedy on Elengjani river. Seven people are still missing.

Most of the schools and educational institutions remained closed in Faridpur due to floods, while crops on 13,319 acres of land were destroyed and crops on 14,445 acres were partly damaged, our correspondent in Pabna reports.

Our correspondent from Gaibandha reports: Jannat Begum, 5, of Lalchamar under Sunderganj upazila drowned in the floodwater.

Major cracks have developed along the Karotoa flood control embankment in Palashbari upazila, while water continue to seepage through four vulnerable points in Cherenga, Nayanpur, Khorda and Tengra.

Even though district administration and NGOs conducted relief operations, they were inadequate, said officials of a local NGO.

Our correspondent from Kishoreganj reports: About 6,000 people were marooned, 86 schools were closed, crops on around 3,000 acres of land were destroyed and over 600 houses were washed away in the haor areas of seven upazilas in the district. The overall flood situation in the district deteriorated further.

Our correspondent in Brahmanbaria reports: Rabeya Akter, 9, of Chunta under Sarail upazila drowned when she was bathing in the floodwater yesterday.

Our correspondent in Magura reports: The Fatki was flowing 136cm above danger level at Magura yesterday inundating about 85sqkm area of 20 villages under Shalikha upazila.

Our staff correspondent in Khulna reports: 10 villages were inundated and shrimps in 2,000 shrimp enclosures were washed away as breaches developed at Kamargati sluice gate in Digholia upaizla.