The rising water level of the Padma River has flooded the low-lying areas in Chapainawabganj, leaving 8,500 families stranded in six unions in Sadar and Shibganj upazilas on Tuesday.
Fueled by upstream floodwaters and monsoon rains, the water level has risen 3 centimetres in the past 24 hours until morning and was flowing 32 centimetres below the danger level at 9am on Wednesday, according to the Water Development Board.
Although still below the danger level the gradual rise has already inundated homes, roads, and cropland, severely affecting thousands of residents, reports UNB.
A total of 1,000 families in Narayanpur and Alatuli unions of Sadar upazila have been waterlogged, said Nurul Islam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sadar Upazila.
Rice and water purification tablets are being distributed among the most affected people in these areas, he informed.
Meanwhile, 7,500 families in Panka, Ujirpur, Durlavpur, and parts of Manaksha union of Shibganj upazila have been affected.
Water has entered numerous households and classes in 12 educational institutions have been suspended. Relief items including rice, dry food, cash, tin sheets, and purification tablet have already been provided to around 500 families, said Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Azahar Ali.
The Department of Agricultural Extension said that around 700 hectares of cropland including paddy, corn, and various vegetables have been submerged in the affected areas of Sadar and Shibganj.
Ahsan Habib, executive engineer of the Chapainawabganj Water Development Board, mentioned the rate of increase has begun to decline despite the continued rise in water level.
If this trend continues, it is expected that no new areas will be flooded, he added.