Staff Reporter :
The flood situation in the northern and north-eastern regions of the country is likely to deteriorate further, as major rivers are currently rising and this trend is expected to continue over the next 24-48 hours.
Floodwaters have entered new areas in the eastern districts of Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Habiganj, inundating almost all upazilas and leaving nearly 12 lakh people marooned.
In response to the worsening conditions, the government has postponed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams in the Sylhet division until July 8.
Additionally, low-lying areas in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat have also been affected by the rising floodwaters, with predictions indicating that more areas are likely to be flooded within the next 48 hours.
Sarder Udoy Raihan, Executive Engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre under the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), stated that the water levels of the Dudhkumar, Teesta, and Dharla rivers in the northern part of the country may rise, potentially causing short-term flooding in some low-lying areas of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, and Rangpur districts in the next 48 hours.
“The River Teesta may cross the danger level at Dalia Point in the next 24 hours for a short period,” he added He also stated that except Surma, major rivers in the North-eastern region of the country are also in rising trend which may continue in the next 24 hours.
“Authorities have issued warnings as heavy rainfall is predicted in the upstream regions, potentially causing water levels in Bangladesh’s rivers to rise significantly over the next 24-48 hours.
While a major flood is not yet certain, a further rise of two meters in water levels could lead to severe flooding,” said Krishna Kamal Chandra Sarker, Superintendent Engineer of BWDB Rangpur Division.
Many charlands in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat are already inundated, with the Teesta River approaching the danger mark.
In Moulvibazar, rivers have surpassed danger levels, flooding 432 villages across 37 unions, including Moulvibazar Sadar, Rajnagar, Kulaura, Juri, Baralekha, and Srimangal upazilas. Nearly 200,000 people are stranded as rural roads and parts of regional highways are submerged. Homes and educational institutions have also been affected.
Local residents have been seen placing sandbags along embankments in a bid to protect their properties.
The Moulvibazar Water Development Board reported the following river levels including river Manu at 21 cm above the danger level at Chandnighat, Kushiara River around 18 cm above the danger level at Sherpur point, River Dhalai above 5 cm over the danger level and Juri River around 202 cm above the danger level.
Urmi Binte Salam, Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar district, confirmed that continuous rains have flooded 432 villages across six upazilas.
In Sylhet, floods have marooned at least 10 lakh people, impacting all upazilas in the eastern district.
At least 130 out of 153 municipalities and unions have been flooded, Assistant Commissioner of Sylhet district administration Md Omar Sani said on Thursday. He said that 698 shelters have been prepared, with 21,700 people taking refuge in 361 of them.
However, water levels in the city and rivers have not decreased slightly as there was no rain on Thursday. According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, 55 millimetres of rain fell between 6am and 9am on Wednesday (19 June), with an additional 20 millimetres recorded between 6am and noon on Thursday.
Shah Md Sajib, assistant meteorologist at the Sylhet Meteorological Office, noted that heavy rain is expected in the next two days as there are still clouds in the sky.
Meanwhile, visiting the district on the day, State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk Shamim said, “Sylhet is experiencing frequent flooding due to the Surma River being silted up. It will be dredged soon.”
“Nine dredging stations are being established across the country to manage river erosion and silt removal regularly”, he added.
Jafrul Haque, a resident of Companiganj, said, “The water didn’t rise today as the downpour stopped, but our homes are still submerged up to the throat. It will take a long time for the water to recede.”
“We have taken shelter at a relief centre, but there is a shortage of cooked food, so we are surviving on dry food”, he added.
Companiganj upazila administration reported that water has infiltrated the upazila parishad office and health complex as well, disrupting services.
The Water Development Board reported that at 6am, the water level of the Kushiyara River at Amalsid Point was 16.27 cm, dropping to 16.26 cm by 11am. The Surma River at Kanaighat Point was at 13.59 cm at 6am and 13.55 cm at 11am, both below the danger level of 12.75 cm.
At Sylhet Point, the Surma River was at 11.14 cm at 6am and 11.07 cm at 11 am, with the danger level being 10.80 cm. According to the FFWC, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River is in rising trend and may continuously rise for the next 72 hours with a chance of reaching the Warning Level at some points.
The Ganges-Padma rivers are in rising trend, which may continue in next 48 hours.
Except Surma, major rivers in the North-eastern region of the country are in rising trend which may continue in the next 24 hours.
According to the information from meteorological departments, medium to heavy rainfall is expected over the Northern and adjoining upstream region and heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the North-eastern, Northern and adjoining upstream parts of the country in the next 24 to 48 hours.
In the next 24 hours, the ongoing flood situation in some low-lying areas of Netrakona district and Sylhet, Sunamganj districts in the northeastern part of the country may remain unchanged.
The ongoing flood situation in Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts along the low-lying areas of Manu-Khwai river may improve, the FFWC bulletin said.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall are very likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh in the next 5 days. Besides, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on 22 and 23 June. The IMD also predicted that isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha in the next four days.