A flood situation is prevailing in the Brahmaputra basin where water levels of major rivers marked further sharp rise due to onrush of water amid heavy monsoon rains from the upstream in the last 24 hours ending at 9am Friday.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said the Dudhkumar, Dharla and Teesta were following above danger marks (DM) on FRiday at three points inundating fresh low-lying areas in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Rangpur districts.
The Dudhkumar was flowing above its danger mark by 50cm at Pateshwari point
in Kuirgram and Dharla by 9cm above the danger mark at Kurigram and Teesta
was flowing above its danger mark by 32cm at Dalia point in Nilphamari at 9am.
"We have taken early preparedness to face any situation during seasonal
floods in all eight districts of Rangpur division under BWDB's Rangpur zone,"
Additional Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Engineer Md Mahbubur
Rahman told BSS.
A local road has been inundated in the Pateshwari area of Nageshwari upazila
of Kurigram due to the rising floodwaters of Dudhkumar where geo-bags are
being used on an emergency basis to save large areas from being inundated.
"We are repairing flood control structures and breaches on emergency basis at
some 60 vulnerable points alongside the major rivers in Kurigram,
Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Rangpur districts," Engineer Rahman
said.
During the last 24 hours, water levels of the Dudhkumar sharply rose by 42cm
at Pateshwari, Dharla by 64cm at Kurigram, Teesta rose by 37cm at Kawnia and
by 13cm at Dalia points in the Brahmaputra basin.
However, water level of the Teesta marked a slight fall and was flowing 17cm
above the danger mark at Dalia point at 12 noon Friday.
Water levels of the Brahmaputra also rose by 36cm at Noonkhawa, 35cm at Hatia
and 29cm at Chilmari and Jamuna rose by 27cm at Fulchhari, 24cm at Shaghata
and 28cm at Bahadurabad, 25cm at Sariakandi, 21cm at Kazipur and 18cm at
Sirajganj points.
"The Teesta was flowing below the danger mark by 37cm at Kawnia, Brahmaputra
below by 36cm at Noonkhawa, 35cm at Hatia and 29cm at Chilmari while Jamuna
was flowing below its danger mark by 27cm at Fulchhari and 24cm at Shaghata
points at 9am today (Friday)," Rahman said.
According to a bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of
BWDB, the recorded rainfalls in the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today were
101mm (millimeter) at Pateshwari, 77mm at Dinajpur and 63mm at Dalia points
in the Brahmaputra basin.
"Besides, the recorded rainfalls during the period were 200mm at Cherrapunji,
110mm at Siliguri, 53mm at Passighat, 133mm at Jalpaiguri, 76mm at Gangtok
and 41mm at Jalpaiguri points of the northwestern Indian states," the
bulletin said.
There is a chance of heavy to very heavy rainfall in next 24 hours in the
northern and adjoining upstream regions of the country where water levels of
the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers may rise at times during the period.
As a result, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Teesta, Dharla, Dudkumar and other major
rivers may continue rising trend in the next 48 hours.
"In the next 24 hours, the flood situation in low-lying areas of Nilphamari,
Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts in the Brahmaputra basin may remain
steady," the bulletin added.
Divisional Commissioner Md. Habibur Rahman told BSS that the district and
upazila administrations, BWDB, local disaster management monitoring
committees and public representatives are closely monitoring the situation
and taking urgent steps to face the flood situation in Rangpur division.
"As per early preparedness and steps taken by the district administrations,
rescue and relief operations are being conducted at few flood and river-
erosion prone areas in affected areas as the flood situation remains under
control, so far," he added.
