Flood Situation Improving in Northeastern, Northern Bangladesh

Officials said the flood situation is gradually improving in northeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh while other low-lying areas of the country are likely to be inundated for a short period of time.

"Flood in the northeastern and northern region is improving as flood water started receding from affected areas. As the pace of receding flood water is very slow, the flood might linger in the country," a Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) spokesman Md Arifuzzaman Bhuyan told BSS.

"Water now continued to flow above the danger lines in two of the country's four major river basins . . . the situation is worst since the 2004 flooding," he added.

Bhuiyan, an FFWC executive engineer, said heavy downpours inside Bangladesh and the upstream region of India triggered devastating floods in Brahmaputra and Meghna basins.

Monsoon rains and gushing waters from upstream India worsened Bangladesh's flood situation with experts calling it the worst since 2004 while millions of people are still marooned, the FFWC official said.

Northeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh may witness prolonged floods as record-breaking rainfalls were recorded inside Bangladesh and upstream states of India during the ongoing flood.

"We have seen that both Bangladesh and upstream states of Meghalaya and Assam and western Himalayan regions of India recorded heavy rainfall, the highest over 100 years," Professor Md Mansur Rahman of the Institute of Water and Flood Management of BUET said.

Major rivers and their tributaries of Bangladesh have no capacity to contain such a huge volume of rains, which ultimately is causing massive flooding in northeastern and northern regions of the country, he added.

Mansur said there is a huge gap between Bangladesh and upstream regions of India in terms of elevation from sea level. "So, the onrush of water enters Bangladesh at a faster pace, which causes flooding," he added.

The hydrologist said a large number of embankments have been built in both Bangladesh and Indian regions to control the flow of water of major rivers, which are the main reasons for the increasing frequency of flooding.

The ongoing flood in the Meghna basin may prolong as the "only exit point of flood water is Bhairab at the Megna River will take much time to pass such huge volume of flood water into the Bay of Bengal... meaning flood in the northeastern region is likely to be prolonged if the heavy downpour continues."

Water levels at 45 river stations monitored by Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) have marked a rise while 64 stations recorded a fall.

Among the 109 monitored stations, water levels at 19 stations are flowing above the danger level, a bulletin issued by the FFWC said here today.

The Brahmaputra at Hatia, Chilmari and Fulchari, the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi, Kazipur, Serajganj and Porabari, the Dharla at Kurigram, the Ghagot at Gaibandha, the Atrai at Baghbari, the Surma at Kanaighat and Sylhet, the Kushiyara at Amalshid, Sheola and Markuli, the Old Surma at Derai, the Someswari at Kalmakanda and the Titas at Brahmanbaria are flowing above danger level by 84cm, 32cm, 45cm, 44cm, 54cm, 53cm, 45cm, 40cm, 19cm, 27cm, 12cm, 99cm, 19cm, 188cm, 65cm, 11cm, 77cm,63cm and 25cm respectively.

Except for Ganges and Padma, all the major rivers in the country are in a falling trend, the FFWC bulletin added.

According to the numerical weather forecast of meteorological agencies, except Teesta basin, heavy to very heavy rainfall inside Bangladesh and different upstream Indian regions is unlikely in the next 48 hours, it added.

The FFWC bulletin added the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Dharala, Dudhkumar and all the major rivers of the north-eastern region of the country (except the Titas) may continue falling, while the Ganges-Padma River may remain steady in the next 48 hours.

"In the next 48 to 72 hours, there is a chance of medium to heavy rainfall in the sub-Himalayan West-Bengal (Jalpaiguri, Sikkim). As a result, the water level of Teesta river may rise and remain near danger level," the FFWC bulletin added.

The flood situation in the Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona districts may improve, while in the Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria districts may remain unchanged in the next 24 hours, the forecasting centre added.

In the next 24 hours, the flood situation in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Serajganj, Tangail and Jamalpur may improve, according to the FFWC statement while there is a chance of short-duration flood in the low-lying areas of Rajbari, Shariatpur and Madaripur districts in next 24 hours.