Flash flood damaged standing crops especially rice in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts on Monday following heavy rainfall upstream in India and opening of the Gajoldoba barrage by the Indian authorities amid onrush of water.
Thousands of people in five northern districts of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Nilphamari and Gaibandha were affected after flash flood inundated these areas Sunday night as the water levels in the trans-boundary rivers Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rose Sunday night.
Bangladesh Water Development Board鈥檚 Rangpur regional superintendent engineer Ahsan Habib said that all gates of the Gajoldoba聽 barrage on the River Teesta were opened by the Indian authorities due to heavy rain in India, which caused the flash flood in these Bangladesh districts, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported.
By Monday morning, the water receded from most of the areas though water stagnation remained in some areas.
Following the flash flood in Kurigram, till Monday evening 1,785 hectares of crop land of aman paddy and vegetables remained inundated, said Department of Agricultural Extension鈥檚 Kurigram office deputy director Md Abdullah Al Mamun.
In the district, out of total 1.25 lakh hectares of crop land, 1.21 lakh hectare of crop land were of aman paddy and the rest was of different vegetables, he mentioned.
He also said that due to the flood, the water levels in the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers rose Sunday night.
Department of Agricultural Extension鈥檚 Lalmonirhat office deputy director Md Saikhul Arefin said that 905 hectares of crop land of aman paddy remained inundated in the district till Monday noon.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that at midnight on Sunday the River Teesta was flowing 35 centimetres above the danger level due to several days of heavy rain and upstream landslides.
Rangpur regional water board superintendent engineer Ahsan Habib also said that Sunday night they had controlled the water level by cutting the flood bypass to protect the barrage and issued a red alert in the Teesta basin.
Following the flash flood, thousands of people in the five northern districts left stranded at night, he said.
He also said that in the morning the flood water receded from most of the areas, but the water remained in some places.
At 9:00am on Monday, the water flow at Dalia Point of Teesta Barrage, the country鈥檚 largest irrigation project, was recorded at 52.12 metres, 3 centimetres below the danger level, Ahsan added.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in its daily rainfall, river situation and forecast, issued at 9:00am on Monday, said that the Teesta River at Kaunia (Rangpur) point was flowing 2cm above the danger level.
The water levels of the Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Upper Korotoa, Upper Atrai, Tangon, Punarbhaba, Ghaghot, Atrai, Mahananda, Jamuneswari and Korotoa rivers may rise for the next two days.
The water level of the Ganges and Padma rivers may rise for the next three days.
The water level of the Matamuhuri, Gomti, Muhuri, Selonia, Feni, Halda and Sangu rivers may rise within the next 24 hours.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department鈥檚 weather forecast issued at 6:00pm on Monday to be valid for the next 120 hours or five days, light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Sylhet division and at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions with moderately heavy falls at places over the country.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Lalmonirhat also reported that the water level of the Teesta River had increased due to heavy rains and upstream landslides over the past three days.
Following the flood, thousands of people in Teesta basin鈥檚 eight upazilas were stranded Sunday night.
The flood-affected people, especially children, the elderly and the disabled, suffered immensely.
Farmers were in great danger with their livestock. Some had kept these animals under tents on the side of the road or in high areas. Cooking was being done on high platforms.
Women in these areas were in distress as tube wells and toilets were submerged.
