Special Correspondent :
The flood situation in the northern and northeastern regions of the country has deteriorated as the meteorological department predicts extremely heavy rainfall in the upstream areas over the next five days.
As a result, residents of districts such as Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, and Netrokona will face short-term flooding.
Experts warn that Bangladesh is likely to experience a major flood by mid-July.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has declared a red alert in the Teesta river areas of North Bengal, specifically in Jalpaiguri.
The water level in the Teesta river is rising rapidly due to extremely heavy rainfall in Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Bihar.
The water levels of major rivers in the North and North-Eastern regions of the country have been rising and have crossed the danger mark in several areas.
In Sylhet, the rivers Surma, Kushiyara, Jadukata, and Sarigowain are flowing above the danger level at various points.
Additionally, the Teesta River is flowing 5 cm above the danger level at the Kaunia point in Rangpur.
The rapid rise in water levels, which began on Sunday night, intensified on Monday due to heavy rainfall in India’s Cherapunji.
The Sylhet Water Development Board reported that by 3 pm on Monday, the Kushiyara River was flowing 6 cm above the danger level at the Amalshid Point.
Similarly, the Sari River crossed the danger mark at the Sarighat Point in Goainghat, and the Surma River was flowing 98 cm above the danger level at the Kanighat Point on Monday morning, according to BWDB sources.
The water of the Jadukata River was flowing 70 cm above the danger mark at Tahirpur’s Shaktiarkhola point in the Sunamganj district.
According to Monday’s bulletin from the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), the Brahmaputra-Jamuna rivers are on a rising trend, which is expected to continue for the next 72 hours.
Meanwhile, the Ganges-Padma rivers are in a steady state, likely to persist for the next 24 hours.
Sarder Udoy Raihan, Executive Engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), stated that in the next 48 hours, the water levels of the Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers in the northern region of the country may rise and potentially exceed the danger level, creating a flood situation in the low-lying areas of this region.
In the next 72 hours, the water level of the Brahmaputra River may rise and potentially exceed the danger level at certain points, according to Sarder Udoy Raihan, who is also in charge of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC).
Raihan noted, “In the next 24 hours, the flood situation in the low-lying areas of Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Netrokona districts may deteriorate somewhat.”
Meteorological organizations have forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the northern, northeastern, and adjoining upstream parts of the country over the next 48 hours.
Consequently, the water levels of the rivers in these regions may rise rapidly during this period.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, with heavy to very heavy rainfall expected over Northeast India, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim over the next five days.
Additionally, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall is anticipated over East India during this period.
The IMD also predicts isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Meghalaya in the next five days.