The death toll from disasters unleashed by the latest depression from the Bay of Bengal climbed to 15 on Sunday amid record rainfalls that triggered landslides and flash floods in the country鈥檚 northeast region, especially in Sylhet.
On Sunday, landslides killed four members of a family in Sylhet and disrupted life in Moulvibazar and Khagrachhari with all major rivers in the districts rapidly swelling, five of them flowing above their danger marks.
One more body was recovered following Saturday鈥檚 boat capsize in Noakhali, one of the badly-hit coastal districts, watching salt water gush in through damaged embankments, engulfing impoverished villages and agricultural land.
The situation in the northeast is likely to deteriorate rapidly over today and tomorrow, forecasters warned, triggering fear among the inhabitants who had faced frequent devastating flash flooding over the past several years.聽
One more death was confirmed in Khagrachhari. 抖阴精品 correspondent in Khagrachhari also reported that road communications within the district were hampered due to several landslides.
Heavy rain, including extremely heavy rain in places, exceeding 400mm, continued over vast swathes of land stretching from northeast Bangladesh to the Assam-Meghalaya region nonstop for three days.
鈥楽ylhet has recorded the highest rain ever since we started keeping such record there in 1956,鈥� said meteorologist Omar Faruk.
In the past 24 hours till 6:00am on Sunday, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said, Sylhet聽 witnessed 405mm of rain. The previous record of 24-hour rain was 362mm, made in 2000.
Torrential rain triggered the tragic landslide in Golapganj of Sylhet at 2:30am, burying Riaz Uddin, 50, his wife Rahima Begum, 40, and their daughters Samia Begum, 14, and son Ali Abbas, 9, alive.
The family was living in a house under a small hill. It took five hours to remove the huge amount of earth burying the family.
Large parts of the Sylhet city and several upazilas of Sylhet and Sunamganj districts got inundated as the year鈥檚 first flash flood struck the region following record rainfall and the onrush of water from the upstream.
The Sylhet City Corporation opened a control room in response to rapid deterioration in the flood situation.
Sylhet deputy commissioner Sher Mohammed Mahbub Murad told 抖阴精品 that 582 flood shelters were opened at 13 upazilas in the district.
Syeed Ahmed Chowdhury, a researcher and former meteorologist, said that Sylhet recorded 1,907.6mm in the past month, the highest rainfall ever recorded in May in the past 70 years. The previous record of 1,129mm rainfall in May was made in 1988.
Vehicular movement on the Moulvibazar-Baralekha regional road was disrupted following landslides. Rising rivers inundated low-lying areas, forcing many people to leave their homes. Roads, agricultural fields and fish enclosures were affected by the rivers overtopping, sending massive volumes of water.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in a bulletin said that the River Lubhachhara was flowing 1.06 metre above its danger mark, followed by Kushiyara flowing 93cm above the danger mark at Amalshid, Surma 79cm above the danger mark and Manu 1cm above the danger mark.
The rivers鈥� dramatic swelling was caused by extreme rainfall inside Bangladesh and onrush of water from the upstream across the border in India.
Other rivers such as Sarigowain, Jadukata, Dhalai and Someswari might cross the danger limit while Mohuri, Feni and Halda might flow at their danger levels over the next two days, the FFWC said.
The areas also likely to witness flash floods are Sunamganj, Netrakona and Habiganj.
The Sylhet division sits along Meghna basin, one of the three river basins making the world鈥檚 largest delta 鈥� Bangladesh. The Meghna River system rises in the hills of Shillong and Meghalaya of India and its main source is the River Barak, which bifurcates into Surma and Kushiyara upon entering Bangladesh at Amalshid in Sylhet.
The smallest among the three river systems, the Meghna River system, drains the world鈥檚 wettest place Cherrapunji of India with an annual rainfall of 10,000mm, 80 per cent of it occurring over the monsoon.
The Assam and Meghalaya region also received extremely heavy rainfall between Saturday and Sunday mornings. Silchar in Assam received 416mm of rainfall during the time while Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur Tripura and Mizoram also received heavy to very heavy rainfall, up to 200mm.
News agency AFP reported that flash floods and landslides after torrential monsoon rain killed at least 30 people in India鈥檚 northeast.
Extremely heavy rainfall, particularly ahead of or at the start of monsoon, have become a real threat to people living in the Assam Meghalaya region, leading to frequent landslides and flash flooding.
Three massive waves of flash flooding swept Sylhet past year in late May, June and July, affecting millions in its each wake.
Troops were called out during the mid-June flash flooding of 2022 to rescue people in Sylhet. The flood left 30 lakh people marooned at its peak.
The flood was dubbed the worst in history as there was hardly any land visible, particularly in Sylhet and Sunamganj, with their cities, towns and villages submerged for days.
The famous tourist destination Jafflong also witnessed severe flooding several times over the past several years. In April 2022, Jafflong went completely under water.
Last June was the wettest in over five decades in Sylhet.
Twenty out of the 27 river gauging stations in the Meghna basin recorded above normal rainfall in May this year. Sheola station recorded 617 per cent excess rainfall, followed by Moheshkhola witnessing 474 per cent of excessive rain, Jafflong 300 per cent, and Zakiganj 126 per cent.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Brahmanbaria reported that the onrush of water from Tripura flooded low lying areas in 20 villages around Akhaura land port. People suffered as roads also went under water along with crop fields.
The power operation, however, went unhindered.
The River Teesta also rapidly swelled, inundating houses of 3,000 families and 10,000 hectares of cropland, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported.
The 44 gates at the Teesta barrage have been opened to lessen water pressure from upstream as India released water following heavy rain.
The Department of Disaster Management said that 259 houses were damaged in nine districts 鈥� Barguna, Bhola, Noakhali, Patuakhali, Lakkhipur, Pirojpur, Barishal and Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
