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Nearly 50,000 people along the riverbanks of Daulatpur upazila in Kushtia were marooned on Friday as the water level of the Padma river continued to rise, fuelled by relentless monsoon rains and heavy upstream flow.

The worst-hit areas — Ramkrishnapur, Chilmari, Philipnagar and Marcha unions — are now cut off from the mainland, accessible only by boats.

Besides, the incessant rainfall and runoff from upstream hills have caused river levels to rise significantly across Naogaon, with the Atrai river now flowing above the danger mark.

‘The water level rose so fast we couldn’t save anything,’ said Abdul Halim, a farmer from Chilmari char. ‘We’ve lost our house, our field, our harvest.’

On Friday, the water level at the Hardinge Bridge gauge reached 12.94 meters, just 86 centimetres below the danger level of 13.80 meters. The Gorai river, a key tributary, hit 12.75 metres — its official danger mark —raising fears of further flooding in low-lying areas.

At least 16 primary schools across the char areas have remained closed due to the flooding. At Ramkrishnapur, the local school building — slightly elevated — now serves as a shelter for over 150 displaced families.

Farmlands with paddy, jute, and chili are now under water. Farmers said that they had lost their entire monsoon harvest.

‘Everything we planted is gone,’ said Manika Rani, a farmer from Philipnagar. ‘And with no fodder left, our livestock are starving.’

Chilmari union parishad member Abdul Mannan said that the Padma was rising abnormally.

Water entered houses, roads were gone, and crops were destroyed, he said, adding that thousands were stranded without clean water or medicine. ‘We need immediate rescue and relief,’ he added.

Kushtia Water Development Board executive engineer Rashidur Rahman said, ‘We are on high alert.’

‘Our teams are patrolling embankments round the clock. A single breach could be catastrophic for the char areas,’ he added.

Kushtia deputy commissioner M Taufiqur Rahman said that the district administration launched emergency operations.

‘We have mobilised all resources. Relief teams are delivering food and supplies by boat, and we’re in constant contact with affected communities. Our top priorities are food, clean water and medical aid,’ he added.

According to reports of United News Bangladesh, the water levels of rivers across Faridpur district have increased, causing sufferings to residents along the the Padma, Madhumati and Arial Khan rivers following the inflow of water from upstream and continuous rainfall.

According to the Faridpur Water Development Board, the Padma rose by 0.9 metres in the past 24 hours till 7:00am on Friday and was now flowing 8:00cm above the danger level.

Meanwhile, the River Arial Kha was flowing 109cm above the danger mark, while the Madhumati has also witnessed a rise.

The flooding has affected 13 river-adjacent unions across four upazilas of the district, throwing transport and daily life out of gear and triggering riverbank erosion.

The UNB also reported that the continuous rainfall and runoff from upstream hills had caused river levels to rise significantly across Naogaon, with the Atrai river now flowing above the danger mark.

As a result, at least 30 points along embankments and flood control dams on both banks of the river have been identified as vulnerable.

According to the Water Development Board, as of 12 noon on Friday, the Atrai river was flowing 27 centimetres above the danger level at the Jotbazar point at Manda upazila. Meanwhile, the Chhota Jamuna river was flowing 37 centimetres below the danger level at the Liton Bridge point in Naogaon town. Other key monitoring points along the Atrai river also remained just below the danger line — 68 centimetres below at Shimultali, 94 centimetres below at Mahadevpur, and 3 centimetres below at the Railway Bridge point in Atrai.

The Punarbhaba river was recorded at 0.16 centimetres below the danger level at the Nitpur Porsha point.

At Manda upazila, the situation is particularly concerning. Ten embankment points at Jotbazar have been marked as highly risky, and another 20 locations, including Laxmirampur, Ayyapur, Panjrabhanga, Palashbari, Mithapur, Nikhirapara, and Goalmanda, have been added to the high-risk list.

Many of these points lie along the main flood control embankment.

Manda upazila nirbahi officer Akhtar Jahan Sathi said that the water level of the Atrai river was rising rapidly, prompting the local administration to convene an emergency meeting as part of advance preparedness.

According to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report, due to low rainfall and reduced water inflow from upstream in the past 24 hours, the Teesta and Dudhkumar rivers were flowing below the danger mark in the greater Rangpur region on Friday.