Bangladesh Forecasts 5 More Days of Rain, Rising Rivers Raise Flash Flood Fears in Southeast

Bangladesh’s Meteorological Department and the Water Development Board have forecast intensified rainfall across the country for the next five days under the influence of a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, warning of rapidly rising river levels, inundation in low-lying areas and possible flash floods, especially in Chattogram, the hill tracts and the southeastern region.

According to the Met Office, the low-pressure area that formed over the Bangladesh-West Bengal coast and adjoining Bay of Bengal has intensified into a monsoon low. The system is currently over Jharkhand and adjoining areas in India and may move further west-northwest before gradually weakening. The extended axis of the monsoon trough remains active over southern Bangladesh and strong over the northern Bay of Bengal.

The latest bulletin from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board said all major rivers in the country are still flowing below danger level. However, heavy rainfall and hill runoff have created a risk of inundation in some low-lying parts of the southeast.

For Tuesday, the five-day forecast said light to moderate rain, with heavy falls in places, is likely in most areas of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, and in many places in Rangpur, Mymensingh and Dhaka divisions. Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged.

On Wednesday, 19 August, rain is likely in many places in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions, and in some places in Rajshahi, Dhaka and Khulna divisions. Temperatures may rise slightly that day.

On 20 August, a similar pattern is expected, with rain in many places in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and in some places in Rajshahi, Dhaka and Khulna divisions. Moderately heavy rainfall is also possible in some areas.

On 21 and 22 August, the fourth and fifth days of the forecast period, the rain trend is expected to continue across the country, with moderate heavy to heavy rainfall forecast in different divisions.

The Water Development Board said heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over the next two days in Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and adjoining upstream areas. In the past 24 hours, significant rainfall was recorded in coastal districts, including 221 mm in Teknaf and 138 mm in Chattogram.

Water levels are currently rising in the Sangu, Matamuhuri, Muhuri, Selaonia and Feni rivers. Within the next 24 hours, water levels in the Halda, Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers may reach warning levels at some locations in Chattogram, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar districts, raising the possibility of temporary inundation in adjacent low-lying areas.

Although water levels in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers are falling, some river points at Fenchuganj, Markuli and Sureshwar in Shariatpur remain at warning level. Coastal rivers in Barishal, Khulna and Chattogram divisions are also experiencing higher-than-normal tides, a condition that may persist for the next two days.