DHAKA, June 24, 2022 (BSS) - Officials said the flood situation is improving
continuously in  northeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh while other
low-lying areas of the country are likely to be inundated for short period
of time.

"Flood in northeastern and northern region is improving gradually as flood
water started receding from affected areas. As the pace of receding flood
water is very slow, flood might linger in the country," a Flood Forecasting
and Warning Centre (FFWC) spokesman Md Arifuzzaman Bhuyan told BSS.

"Water now continued to flow above the danger lines in two of the country's
four major river basins ... The situation is worst since the 2004 flooding,"
he added.
 
Bhuiyan, an FFWC executive engineer, said heavy downpours inside Bangladesh
and upstream region of India triggered devastating flood in Bramaputra and
Meghna basins.

Monsoon rains and gushing waters from upstream India worsened Bangladesh
flood situation with experts calling it the worst since 2004 while millions
of people are still affected by the deluge, the FFWC official said.
 
Northeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh may witness prolonged flood as
record breaking rainfalls were recorded inside Bangladesh and upstream states
of India during the ongoing flood.

"We have seen that both Bangladesh and upstream states of Meghalaya and Assam
and western Himalayan regions of India recorded heavy rainfall, the highest
over 100 years," Professor Md Mansur Rahman of Institute of Water and Flood
Management of BUET said.

Major rivers and their tributaries of Bangladesh have no capacity to contain
such huge volume of rains, which ultimately has caused massive flooding in
northeastern and northern regions of the country, he added.

Mansur said there is a huge gap between Bangladesh and upstream regions of
India in terms of elevation from sea level. "So, onrush of water enters
Bangladesh with a faster pace, which inundated vast areas of the country in a
shorter time," he added.

The hydrologist said a large number of embankments have been built in both
Bangladesh and Indian regions to control flow of water of major rivers, which
are the main reasons for increasing frequency of flooding.

The ongoing flood in Meghna basin may prolong as "only exit point of flood
water is Bhairab at the Megna river will take much time to pass such huge
volume of flood water into the Bay of Bangal... meaning flood in northeastern
region is likely to be prolonged, if the heavy downpour continue."

Water levels at 37 river stations monitored by Flood Forecasting and Warning
Centre (FFWC) have marked rise while 71 stations recorded fall.

Among the 109 monitored stations, water levels at 16 stations are flowing
above the danger level, a bulletin issued by the FFWC said here today.

The Brahmaputra at Hatia and Fulchari, the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi,
Kazipur, Serajganj and Porabari, the Atrai at Baghbari, the Surma at
Kanaighat and Sylhet, the Kushiyara at Amalshid, Sheola and Markuli, the Old
Surma at Derai, the Someswari at Kalmakanda and the Titas at Brahmanbaria are
flowing above danger level by 50cm, 09cm, 13cm, 27cm, 26cm, 27cm, 25cm, 15cm,
95cm, 10cm, 184cm, 65cm, 07cm, 63cm, 53 and 29cm respectively.

Except the Ganges and Padma, all the major rivers in the country are in
falling trend, the FFWC bulletin added.

According to the numerical weather forecast of meteorological agencies,
except Teesta basin, heavy to very heavy rainfall inside Bangladesh and
different upstream Indian regions is unlikely in the next 48 hours.
 
The FFWC bulletin added the Brahmaputa-Jamuna, Dharala, Dudhkumar and all the
major river of the north-eastern region of the country (except the Titas) may
continue falling, while the Ganges-Padma river may continue rising in the
next 24 hours
 
"In the next 48 to 72 hours, there is a chance of medium to heavy rainfall in
the sub-Himalayan West-Bengal (Jalpaiguri, Sikkim). As a result, the water
level of Teesta River may rise and remain near danger level," the FFWC
bulletin added.

Flood situation in the Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona districts may improve
while in the Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria districts may remain unchanged in
next 24 hours, the forecasting centre added.

In the next 24 hours, the flood situation in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra,
Serajganj, Tamgail and Jamalpur districts may remain improve while there is
chance of short duration flood in the low-lying areas of Rajbari, Shariatpur
and Madaripur districts in next 24 hours, the official bulletin said.