Staff Reporter :
While the water level of the Teesta River has begun to decrease, the flood situation remains largely unchanged in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, with riverbank erosion causing growing anxiety among residents.
Despite some relief from flooding, villagers along the Teesta riverbank are enduring continued distress.
Heavy rainfall and upstream water from India have left over 60,000 people stranded in 21 unions across five upazilas of Lalmonirhat and four unions in three upazilas of Kurigram.
Many have been forced to abandon their homes, seeking refuge on government roads and embankments. Thousands of hectares of aman rice and vegetable fields remain submerged in these flood-affected areas.
According to the Water Development Board, the Teesta River’s water level began to recede after 10 p.m. on Sunday. By 6 a.m. on Monday, the water at the Dalia point was 20 centimeters below the danger level, while the Kaunia point recorded a drop to 6 centimeters below the danger mark.
Additionally, water levels in other rivers, including the Brahmaputra, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Jinjiaram, and Gangadhar in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, were reported below the danger level.
Many villagers are continuing to flee their homes, seeking safe shelter from the ongoing flood threats.
At 6 a.m. on Monday, the water level at the Dalia point was recorded at 51.70 centimeters, which is 0.45 centimeters below the danger level of 52.15 centimeters.
Meanwhile, at the Kaunia point, the water level was 29.25 centimeters, 0.6 centimeters below the danger mark.
To manage the situation, authorities have kept 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage open to control the water flow.
Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner HM Rokib Haider reassured the public, stating that relief supplies are being distributed to families stranded by the floodwaters along the Teesta riverbank.
He added that the water is receding, and the flood situation is expected to improve soon.
Mohammad Rashidin, Sub-Engineer of Dalia PWD, explained that the Teesta’s water level had surged due to upstream flooding and rainfall, but efforts are ongoing to control the water flow by keeping the barrage gates open.
In Nilphamari, flood conditions have improved due to the receding waters of the Teesta River.
Heavy rainfall and runoff from upstream initially caused the river level at the Teesta Barrage Point to exceed the danger mark by 2 centimeters early Sunday morning.
However, by noon, the water level had dropped to 3 centimeters below the danger mark, further reducing to 20 centimeters below by evening.
The earlier rise in water levels led to flooding in low-lying areas of 15 villages in Dimla Upazila, including West Chatnai, East Chatnai, Tepakhori Bari, and Khalisha Chapani, affecting over 5,000 people.
As the water level continues to drop, the flood situation in these areas has shown improvement.
Haripada Roy, a 40-year-old resident of Baishpukur village, Khalisha Chapani Union, said, “When the river water rose, our low-lying Aman fields were submerged. Fortunately, the water has receded quickly, and the fields are now drying out.”