RANGPUR, June 17, 2022 (BSS) - A flood situation is prevailing at places in the Brahmaputra basin due to sharp rise in water levels of major rivers following monsoon rains and onrush of water from the upstream during the past 24 hours ending at 9am today.
 
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said the Dudhkumar, Dharla, Teesta and Brahmaputra crossed their respective danger marks (DM) at five points due to sharp rise in their water levels at 9 am today.
 
The Dudhkumar was flowing above DM by 9cm at Pateshwari, Dharla by 9cm above DM at Kurigram, Teesta by 5cm above DM at Dalia and Brahmaputra by 60cm above DM at Hatia and 5cm above DM at Chilmari points at 9 am today.
 
During the last 24 hours, water levels of the Dudhkumar rose by 17cm at Pateshwari, Dharla by 34cm at Kurigram, Teesta rose by 32cm at Kawnia and by 5cm at Dalia points in the Brahmaputra basin.
 
Water levels of the Brahmaputra also sharply rose by 55cm at Noonkhawa, 65cm at Hatia and 60cm at Chilmari and Jamuna rose by 64cm at Fulchhari, 50cm each at Shaghata and Bahadurabad, 48cm at Sariakandi, 42cm at Kazipur and 40cm at Sirajganj points.
 
Talking to BSS today, Additional Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Engineer Muhammad Amirul Haque Bhuiyan said monitoring of flood situation continues to face any situation elsewhere in Rangpur zone.
 
"We have taken early preparedness to face any situation during possible floods in all eight districts of Rangpur division under BWDB's Rangpur zone from where no incident of breaching of flood control embankments and devices was reported so far," he said.

To conduct repairing works and management of flood control embankments on an emergency basis when and where needed, all 12 divisions of three circles of BWBD's Rangpur zone have geo-textile bags and other materials for the purpose.
 
"We are repairing flood control structures at a few points alongside the major rivers in Rangpur zone," Engineer Bhuiyan said.
 
Executive Engineer of the Teesta Barrage division of BWDB Md. Asfauddulla told BSS that all 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage Project are remaining opened at Dalia point in Nilphamari where the river was flowing 5cm above the danger mark at 9 am today.
 
"However, the water level of Teesta marked a little fall at noon and there is a possibility of rising again from tonight," he said, adding that repairing of flood control embankments at a few vulnerable points are continuing alongside the river.
 
According to a bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of BWDB, the recorded rainfalls during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today were 225mm at Kawnia, 136mm at Chilmari and 109mm at Rangpur points in the Brahmaputra basin.
 
"Besides, the recorded rainfalls during the same period were 972mm at Cherrapunji, 99mm at Dhubri, 160mm at Passighat, 59mm at Jalpaiguri, 101mm at Shillong and 42mm at Guwahati points of the northwestern Indian states," the bulletin said.
 
There is a chance of medium to heavy rainfalls at some places of the northern and north-eastern regions of the country along with adjoining states of Assam, Meghalaya and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal of India in the next 72 hours.
 
As a result, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Teesta, Dharla, Dudkumar and other major rivers may continue rising in the next 48 hours.
 
"In the next 24 hours, water level of Teesta may remain near or above the DM and the flood situation may further deteriorate in the low lying areas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Kurigram districts in the Brahmaputra basin," the bulletin added.
 
Divisional Commissioner Md. Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan today told BSS that the district administrations and BWDB are closely monitoring the situation to take immediate steps when and where necessary to face the flood situation this season in Rangpur division.
 
"Kurigram district administration has already allocated 10 tonnes of rice for distribution among flood-affected people of Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas each and Taka 1.50 lakh for Roumari and Taka 50,000 for Rajibpur upazilas," he said.
 
The deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers and local public representatives are closely monitoring the flood situation in the flood-prone districts, he added.