The flood situation deteriorated at places in the Brahmaputra basin due to further rise in water levels of major rivers following onrush of water from the upstream during the past 24 hours ending at 9 am Friday.
Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said the major rivers were flowing above their respective danger levels (DL) at seven points in Kurigram, Jamalpur, Bogura and Sirajganj districts at 9 am today.
The Dudhkumar was flowing above the DL by 15cm at Pateshwari, Dharla by 32cm at Kurigram and Brahmaputra by 20cm above the DL at Chilmari points in Kurigram district at 9 am.
Besides, the Jamuna was flowing above the DL by 2cm at Bahadurabad in Jamalpur, 22cm at Sariakandi in Bogura district and 17 at Kazipur and 26cm above the DL at Sirajganj points in Sirajganj district at 9 am today.
“Due to sharp rise in water levels during the last 24 hours, the Teesta was flowing below the DL by only 8cm at Kawnia point in Rangpur, Ghaghot by 29cm at Gaibandha and Jamuna was flowing at the DL at Fulchhari points in Gaibandha district at 9 am.
Talking to BSS, Chief Engineer for Rangpur zone of BWDB Engineer Jyoti Prosad Ghosh said water levels of major rivers might continue to rise during the next 48 hours to further deteriorate the flood situation in the Brahmaputra basin.
“We have taken early preparedness to face any situation during possible floods in all eight districts of Rangpur division under BWDB’s Rangpur zone from where no incident of breaching of flood control embankments was reported so far,” he said.
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 taken all necessary preparations.
“We are continuing repair works of erosion-prone riverside banks and ready to do the same for flood control structures alongside the major rivers in Rangpur zone spending Taka 62 crore for the “season flood” this year,” Ghosh said.
BWDB’s Executive Engineers Mokhlesur Rahman for Gaibandha and Ariful Islam for Kurigram said all flood control embankments and structures are remaining safe in the two districts although some sporadic incidents of erosions were reported from few places.
Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Bidhu Bhusan Ray told BSS that standing crops on around 1,000 hectares of land submerged under floodwater in Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat in the last few days in the region.
Executive Engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of BWDB at Dhaka, Engineer M Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan said the Brahmaputra- Jamuna river systems were in rising trend which might continue in the next 48 hours in the Brahmaputra basin.
The major rainfalls recorded during the past 24 hours ending at 9 am today were 59mm at Pasighat, 57mm at Aizawl, 47mm at Darjeeling and 33m at Silchar points of the northwestern Indian states in the upstream.
“During the next 24 hours, the flood situation at low lying areas of Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura and Sirajganj districts may deteriorate to cause a short-term flooding in the basin,” Engineer Arifuzzaman added.
Talking to BSS, Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Md Zakir Hossain said that the district administrations are closely monitoring the flood situation and ready to take all necessary steps when and where needed across Rangpur division.
