A vast tract of low-lying areas in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia district has been flooded due to the swelling of Padma River, leaving around 40,000 people in Ramkrishnapur and Chilmari unions stranded.
Thirteen government primary schools under the two unions have been shut due to the flood.
According to the Pabna Water Hydrology Division, the Padma River is flowing just one centimetre below the danger level at Daulatpur in Kushtia. At the Hardinge Bridge point, the water level rose by 10 centimetres in the past 24 hours to reach 12.80 metres as of 9am on Tuesday. The danger level at this point stood at 13.80 metres till the filing of this report.
As water levels continue to rise, low-lying areas and farmlands along the riverbanks are being inundated. Residents in four river-adjacent unions remain on high alert for possible flooding.
The local agriculture office said around 243 hectares of croplands – including paddy, banana, vegetables, chilli and maize – have already been damaged.
Abdul Mannan, chairman of Chilmari Union Parishad, said water levels were still rising and warned, “If this continues, it will start entering people’s homes.”
Zahiduzzaman Zahid, executive engineer at the Pabna Water Hydrology Division, said the Padma’s water level is rising daily but it remains unclear how long the trend will continue.