People wading through floodwater on a road in Netrakona on Saturday — bdnews24.com The flood situation worsened in 15 districts of the country on Saturday as most of the rivers continued swelling amid incessant rain in both downstream and upstream areas.
The districts are Netrakona, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulavibazar, Sylhet, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Feni, Bogura, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Gaibandha and Nilphamari, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
The FFWC said water levels went up at 79 points out of 93 and fell at 11 points in 24 hours ending at Saturday noon.
A total of 15 rivers were flowing above the danger levels at 22 points, it said.
Because of the rise of water levels in all major rivers, thousands of people remained stranded in at least 15 districts, as the overflowing flood water snapped the rural road communication system.
Schools and other educational institutions were closed for indefinite period in many of the flood-affected areas on the day.
The continued downpour caused a tragic landslide at Kaptai in Rangamati district, killing two auto-rickshaw passengers on the day. The victims were identified as Atal Barua (50) and Sujoy Mong Marma (40).
Observing the overall situation, the centre issued a warning that the flooding might take a serious turn in the next couple of days with many places to get inundated in the middle parts of the country.
Its warning came amid the weather forecast of continued downpour during the next few days in Bangladesh and in the neighbouring states of India.
When contacted, FFWC executive engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan said water levels of the rivers located in the northwestern and northeastern regions kept rising rapidly due mainly to incessant rain upstream, especially in India's Assam, Meghalaya and Bihar states. So the flood situation might worsen in the next week.
He said such inclement weather might continue for the next 3-4 days and the water was flowing towards the middle parts of the country through the rivers Padma, Jamuna and Meghna before falling into the Bay of Bengal.
"It means districts around Dhaka could be affected by floodwater in the next few days. If it happens, it will be a disaster for the country," he warned.
His warning also matched the forecast of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department that stated there might be medium to heavy rainfall in the northern, north-eastern and south-eastern parts of Bangladesh in next 24 to 48 hours.
All major rivers might keep rising in the next 72 hours while the Jamuna river at Sariakandi and Kazipur might cross the danger level in the next 24 hours.
The major rivers in Chattogram, Sylhet and Rangpur division including the Surma, Kushiyara, Kangsha, Feni, Haldha, Matamuhuri, Sangu and Dharala may rise rapidly.
The flood situation in Netrakona, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Jamalpur and Gaibandha may deteriorate.
Kurigram is one of the worst-affected areas where all rivers are overflowing.
According to the Kurigram Water Development Board, more than 50 villages under seven upazilas of the northern district were inundated by the flood water due to fast rise of the water levels of Dhorola, Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers.
When contacted on mobile phone, Chairman of Ramna Union Parishad of the district Asgar Ali Sarker said the flood water breached a dam in Haripur area and inundated at least 15 villages like Bashontipara, Majhipara, Raipara and Tongram.
The affected people took shelter at Wabda Dam, Jorgach Govt. Primary School and Reazul Jannat Madrasha, he said.
They were facing difficulties with distribution of relief materials among the victims as many roads went under water.
"Situation turns critical as rivers keep swelling. If it continues further, we've to issue red alert here," he added.
The situation was almost same in other places where rivers were overflowing.
Talking to the FE, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman said the government was on alert about the situation and kept sending relief materials based on the assessment of the local administration.
He said they had already sent relief materials in the form of 17,500 tonnes of rice, 50,000 packets of dry food and Tk 20.9 million to the affected districts.
The districts would receive 500 tents and medical teams each within the next few days, said the state minister.
"We'll send more, if required. We have taken enough preparation to tackle it. There is nothing to be worried about," he added.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
