3 Rivers Flow Above Danger Level at 4 Stations, 44 Teesta Barrage Gates Opened

Water levels in three rivers are flowing above danger level at four monitoring stations in Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Water Development Board has warned that continued heavy rainfall and upstream inflows could cause short-term or flash flooding in low-lying areas of several northern and north-eastern districts within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The warning was issued in Monday’s bulletin from the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). According to the bulletin, the Kushiyara River was flowing 30 centimetres above danger level at the Fenchuganj point in Sylhet and 3 centimetres above danger level at the Markuli point in Sunamganj. The Surma River was 16 centimetres above danger level at the Chatak point in Sunamganj, while the Someshwari River was 15 centimetres above danger level at the Kalmakanda point in Netrakona.

Significant rainfall was recorded over the past 24 hours both in Bangladesh and upstream areas. The highest rainfall in Bangladesh was 203 millimetres at Maheshkhola in Sunamganj, while the highest upstream rainfall was 371 millimetres at Williamnagar in Meghalaya, India.

Flood forecasts said water levels in the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers rose over the past 24 hours. Within the next 24 to 48 hours, those rivers may cross danger level and trigger flash or short-term flooding in low-lying parts of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Kurigram.

In the north-eastern region, water levels in the Surma, Sarigowain, Jadukata, Someshwari, Bhugai and Kangsha rivers are also rising. Within 24 to 48 hours, flooding may worsen somewhat in low-lying areas of Sherpur, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sylhet and Sunamganj.

The Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system may continue to rise over the next five days. Within the next 24 to 72 hours, river levels at different points in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Sirajganj and Tangail may reach warning levels, raising the risk of inundation in low-lying areas.

Conditions may also deteriorate in the south-eastern region. The Sangu River has already risen, and according to the weather forecast, there is a risk that hill rivers in the Chattogram region may rise rapidly after one day. Weather agencies said heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur over the next 24 hours in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions, as well as adjoining parts of Assam, Meghalaya and West Bengal in India.

Meanwhile, fresh upstream inflows and heavy rain have again pushed up the Teesta River, which was flowing just 5 centimetres below the danger mark at the Dalia point in Nilphamari. Authorities opened 44 sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage to manage the water pressure.

Nurul Islam, a water gauge reader of the BWDB Dalia Division, said that at 9:00am on Monday the Teesta River water level at the Dalia point in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari, home to the country’s largest irrigation project, the Teesta Barrage, was recorded at 52.10 metres, or 5 centimetres below the danger level. The danger level at that point is 52.15 metres. He said the level was unchanged at 6:00am the same day.

Amitabh Chowdhury, executive engineer of the BWDB Dalia Division, said the Teesta was flowing 5 centimetres below danger level at 9:00am and could rise further. He said 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage had been kept open to keep the situation under control.

Earlier, at 10:00pm on 13 July, the Teesta’s water level had risen to 52.25 metres, 10 centimetres above the danger mark. After water flowed above danger level for nearly 15 consecutive hours, low-lying areas in the unions of Purba Chhatnai, Khagakharibari, Tepakharibari, Khalishachapani, Jhunagachh Chapani and Goyabari in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari, as well as Golmunda, Dauabari and Shaulmari unions in Jaldhaka upazila, were inundated.