Teesta crosses danger mark as major rivers swell in Gaibandha

Water levels in all the major rivers flowing through the district rose sharply in last 24 hours till Wednesday 6 pm due to incessant rain and an onrush of hilly water from the upstream.

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) office sources said the water level of the Brahmaputra increased by 50cm while the Teesta by 30cm, the Karotoa by 30cm, and the Ghagot by 48cm during the period.

The Brahmaputra at Fulchharighat point was flowing 90 cm, the Karotoa at Katakhali point 263cm and the Ghagot at New Bridge Road point 177cm below their respective danger levels while the Teesta was flowing 13 cm over the danger level at Kawnia point.

With the rise of water level in the rivers, the low-lying areas of the chars and the Brahmaputra river basin under Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Shaghata have been inundated making the chars and river basin people worried.

Md Saddam Hossain Paban, a social worker of Kamarjani Bandar area under Sadar upazila, said the water level of the Brahmaputra river rose sharply flooding the low-lying areas of the river basins of Kamarjani union.

A good number of people of the union have been marooned and were passing their days and nights miserably, he also said.

Md Matiar Rahman, chairman of the Union Parishad (UP), said he informed the officials of the administration about the update of the flood situation in the union.   

Md Hafizul Haque, executive engineer of BWDB, said 13.50 mm rainfall was recorded in the last 24 hours till Wednesday at 6 pm.

He said that if the Brahmaputra and the Ghagot rivers continue to rise due to rain, the rivers will cross their danger levels very soon.

As the rivers are in the rising trend, the officials and the employees had been kept alert so that none could cause damage to the flood control embankments to inundate fresh areas of the mainland, he added.

They were watching the situation closely and always maintaining communication with the local public representatives, the elite, and journalists about the flood situation, he said.

The district and the upazila administrations are fully ready to face the flood situation in the district taking relief materials, said assistant commissioner and acting district relief and rehabilitation officer (DRRO) Md Jewel Miah