The situation in newly flood-hit areas of the country’s northern and northeastern regions may worsen as the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) yesterday warned of flash or short-duration flooding over the next one to two days.
The latest forecast is for the low-lying areas of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, and Naogaon.
Thousands of people in these areas are already suffering as heavy rain triggered flash floods over the past few days.
Floodwaters were receding yesterday, officials said, but they left widespread destruction. Low-lying areas remained under water, while houses, cropland and roads were extensively damaged, and many structures were lost to erosion.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned of heavy rain in parts of Barishal and Chattogram divisions over the 48 hours from 6:00am today.
The FFWC also warned that some low-lying areas of Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram, still reeling from devastating floods, may be temporarily inundated over the next two to three days due to rising water levels in adjoining rivers.
In Netrokona, flash floods triggered by heavy rain and an influx of water from upstream Meghalaya marooned hundreds of families in Kalmakanda and Durgapur upazilas.
The flooding damaged homes and roads, disrupting communication in several areas.
Obaydul Haque, chairman of Kharnoi Union Parishad, said nearly 12 kilometres of earthen roads in Kalmakanda were damaged. Fish from about 70 ponds were washed away, while Aman seedbeds belonging to 200 to 250 farmers were destroyed, he added.
Around 150 feet of road at Nalchapara Bazaar was washed away, said local resident Sajal Mia.
“My eight-decimal Aman seedbed was destroyed in just one night. All the fish in my pond and almost every pond in the village have been washed away,” said Rustam Ali, a farmer from Bandoshan village in Durgapur.
Durgapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ahmed Sadat and Kalmakanda Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Shamsuzzaman Asif said the damage was being assessed and the administration was assisting affected residents.
In Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, residents of riverine char areas have been struggling with rapid fluctuations in the water levels of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dudhkumar and Dharla rivers over the past few days.
Locals said they leave their homes after floodwaters enter in the morning and return in the evening when the water recedes.
The erratic flooding has disrupted the daily lives of thousands of char dwellers.
“My house was inundated on Monday morning, and the water receded in the afternoon. This has been happening almost every day for the last month,” said Naser Ali, 65, a farmer from the Begumganj area of Ulipur upazila in Kurigram.
In Tangail, rising water levels in the Jamuna have triggered river erosion in several villages, leaving many people homeless.
Houses, cropland and other structures have been devoured by the river in Tangail Sadar, Bhuiyanpur, Kalihati and Nagarpur upazilas.
In the southwestern region, days of heavy rain severely disrupted road connectivity in several areas.
In Jashore, the collapse of a large section of Parkhajura Road four days ago has left several thousand people struggling, as the road links Monirampur upazila with the district headquarters.
With no alternative route, students and other commuters are using a narrow, muddy and slippery makeshift path beside the damaged road.
A section of the Khamarbari Bridge on the Monirampur-Khanpur road also collapsed, while part of the Monirampur-Mathurapur road near a mosque caved into an adjacent pond after the roadside embankment gave way.
In Bagerhat, continuous rain left roads across the district badly damaged. The Roads and Highways Department estimated that about 180 kilometres of roads and the guide walls of 40 bridges and culverts had been damaged over the past two days.
[Our correspondents from Netrokona, Benapole, Bagerhat, Lalmonirhat and Tangail contributed to the report]
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/environment/climate-crisis/news/north-northeast-regions-brace-more-floods-4229536
