Lowlands along riverbanks in different districts were inundated as the water from major rivers in the country flowed above the red mark to dangerous levels on Thursday.
According to officials, the water in these different rivers – including the Teesta, Padma, Darla and Gorai rivers – have continued to rise due to heavy rainfall and an onrush of upstream water from Indian region.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said the water level of the Teesta at Dalia point in Nilphamari was flowing 15cm above danger level. BWDB, however, warned that water levels in the rivers may continue to rise.
As many as 60,000 people in Lalmonirhat, 30,000 in Rangpur, 50,000 in Kushtia, 10,000 in Nilphamari, and 6,000 in Chapainawabganj have been marooned by floodwaters as a result, with local sources stating that 152km of the Teesta basin and 360km in the Dharla-Brahmaputra region affected.
Thousands of people in char (riverine island) areas and riverside lowlands have also been waterlogged, in addition to fish ponds and thousands of hectares of crops – peanuts, jute, the newly planted Aman rice – submerged by the floodwaters
To make matters worse, riverbank erosion has taken a serious turn in many places along the riverbank. Erosion has occurred at least 108 spots in the Teesta and Dharla river basins. The BWDB is working in many locations to prevent further erosion.
Hundreds of families, especially children and the elderly, have been left stranded without drinking water and food.
Mostafizur Rahman, in-charge of the Rangpur Meteorological Office, said that heavy rainfall has occurred not only in Panchagarh and Rangpur, but also in Cooch Bihar (West Bengal of India) and Guwahati (Assam).
Heavy-to-very heavy rainfall was forecasted in the next 24 hours in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, and Mymensingh divisions. To control the flooding, 44 sluice gates of Dalia Barrage have been opened.
Sources from Lalmonirhat says lowlands in Aditmari, Kaliganj, Hatibandha, Sadar, and Patgram upazilas have also gone under water. If heavy rain and the rush of upstream water from India continue, a major flood could hit the region, BWDB has warned.
So far, floodwaters have entered 225 villages in char areas, affecting around 200,000 people in five districts. In Daulatpur Upazila of Kushtia, water levels in Padma and Gorai rivers continue to rise daily, with the Padma having risen about 150cm over the course of last week, mainly due to heavy rainfall and upstream water.
The government has been arranging relief and necessary assistance in the meantime. Executive Engineer of the Pabna Water Hydrology Division Zahiduzzaman Zahid said it was still uncertain how long Padma and Gorai rivers will continue to rise.
Meanwhile, the deluges submerged low-lying areas in Chapainawabganj, leaving 8,500 families marooned.