RANGPUR, July 19, 2020 (BSS) – The flood situation continues improving with further fall in water levels of major rivers despite heavy rainfalls in most of the northern districts in the Brahmaputra basin during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said water levels of all major rivers marked further fall with reduction in the rate of onrushing hilly water from the upper catchment in the basin during the period.
The recorded rainfalls during the last hours were 121mm at Dalia in Nilphamari, 110 mm at Kurigram, 105mm at Rangpur, 110mm at Thakurgaon and 81mm at Panchagarh as heavy monsoon continues across Rangpur division till filing of this report at 1:40 pm.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of BWDB, the recorded rainfalls were 288mm at Cherrapunji, 143mm at Dhubri and 138m at Pasighat in northwestern Indian states in the upstream during the same period.
BWDB officials said the Brahmaputra was flowing above the DMs by 44cm at Noonkhawa and 62cm at Chilmari, Dharla 45cm at Kurigram and Ghagot 53cm at Gaibandha at 9 am following further fall in their water levels.
The Jamuna was flowing above the DMs by 85cm at Fulchhari, 92cm at Bahadurabad, 98cm at Sariakandi, 91cm at Kazipur and 81cm at Sirajganj points at 9 am today.
Executive Engineers Mehedi Hasan for BWDB’s Rangpur division and Mokhlesur Rahman for its Gaibandha division said the flood situation continued improving as water levels of major rivers were falling at lower rates in these districts.
Talking to BSS, Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Jyoti Prosad Ghosh said incidents of sporadic riverbank erosion have been reported from various riverside areas in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Rangpur districts.
“The flood control structures of BWDB are remaining safe everywhere in Rangpur zone where riverbank protection works are being conducted at around 25 points with recession of floodwaters,” Ghosh added.
Meanwhile, the district administrations have further intensified relief activities in the flood-affected northern districts.
Acting District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) of Kurigram Abdul Hye Sarker said the second phase flood has affected 1.87 lakh people of 46,885 families of 475 villages in 56 unions of all nine upazilas in the district this season.
“Distributing 170 tonnes of rice, Taka nine lakh, 4,000 packets of dry foods, Taka two lakh each for baby foods and animal fodders continues in full swing among flood-affected people in three upazilas of the district,” Hye said.
Gaibandha DRRO Moazzem Hossain said the current flood has affected over 1.30-lakh people of 32,500 families in 26 unions of four upazilas of the district.
“Distributing 250 tonnes of rice, Taka eight lakh, 3,600 packets of dry foods, Taka two lakh each for baby foods and animal fodders allocated by the government continues among the flood-affected people in the district,” Hossain said.
Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Amin Ahmed Khan said 713 medical teams are extending health services to the people residing in flood-prone and other rural areas across Rangpur division.
Divisional Commissioner KM Tariqul Islam said the district administrations and BWDB are closely monitoring the situation and taking instant steps when and where necessary during the deluge in the second phase this season in Rangpur division.