Flood situation worsens in Brahmaputra basin

Flood situation has worsened further during the last 24 hours in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Bogura, Jamalpur and Sirajganj districts in the Brahmaputra basin.

Water levels of major rivers marked further rise at relatively lower rates during the period and were flowing above danger marks (DM) at 12 points inundating more areas and marooning over 1.50 lakh people in these flood-hit eight northern districts till Sunday morning.

Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said water levels of major rivers may continue to mark rise at places in the next 24 hours. 

The Dudhkumar was flowing above DM by 10cm at Pateshwari, Dharla by 28cm at Kurigram, Ghagot by 15cm at Gaibandha, Brahmaputra by 13cm at Noonkhawa, 86cm at Hatia and 34cm at Chilmari and 29cm at Fulchhari points at 9 am on Sunday.

Besides, the Jamuna was flowing above its DM by 24cm at Bahadurabad, 28cm at Sariakandi, 23cm at Kazipur and 13cm at Sirajganj points.

According to a bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center of BWDB, the recorded rainfalls during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today were 289mm at Silchar, 253mm at Cherrapunji and 85mm at Aizawl points of the northwestern Indian states in the upstream.

There is a probability of medium to heavy rainfall at places of the northern and north-eastern regions of the country along with adjoining states of Assam, Meghalaya and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal of India in the next 48 hours.

As a result, the Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar and other major rivers may continue rising in the next 48 hours in the Brahmaputra basin.

"In the next 24 hours, the Teesta water level may remain near or above DM and flood condition may deteriorate in low-lying areas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogura, Jamalpur and Sirajganj in the basin," the bulletin added.

Monitoring of flood situation continues round the clock to face any situation in all eight districts of Rangpur division under BWDB's Rangpur zone.

To conduct repairing works and management of flood control embankments on an emergency basis when and where needed, all 12 divisions of three circles of BWBD's Rangpur zone have adequate necessary materials.