7 rivers above danger mark

Seven rivers in Bangladesh are flowing above the danger mark after heavy rains.

The waters of Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Ganga-Padma, Meghna and the rivers surrounding Dhaka were set to rise further in the next 72 hours, the Flood Forecasting & Warning Centre (FFWC) of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) says.

Ghagot in Gaibandha was flowing 24 cm above the danger level, as per FFWC data collected until 6am Tuesday.

The Brahmaputra and its main distributary channel Jamuna is flowing above the danger level at four points.

The Jamuna was flowing 27cm and 57cm above the danger mark at Bahadurabad and Sariakandi points.

Dhaleswari was flowing 112 cm above the limit at Elasinghat in the morning.

The tributaries of the Ganges were also bursting their banks. Atrai was flowing 36cm above the red mark at Baghabari.

The torrent of water flowing downstream from India was causing floods in most of the rivers of the Meghna Basin.

Surma River topped the danger mark by 55cm at Kanaighat and 38cm at Sunamganj. Kangsha River has risen 67cm beyond the danger limit at Jariajanjail.

This caused flooding in low-lying regions and river islets.

Areas that lie along Jamuna’s course - Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi, Enayetpur, Chouhali, Kazipur, river islets at Shahzadpur Upazila -- have been flooded and were subjected to erosion, Babul Chanra Sheel, executive engineer at Sirajganj Water Development Board told bdnews24.com correspondents.

Thirty metres of Enayetpur’s embankment has been washed away, Sirajganj Deputy Commissioner Md Billal Hossain said.

He said the administration was preparing to handle the situation.

The embankments and spurs at Bogra’s Sariakandi and Dhunot were also on the verge of caving in to the rising Jamuna.

A stretch of fifty kilometres at Sariakandi’s Kamalpur gave way on Sunday night, said Executive Engineer Nurul Islam Sarkar Bogra of Water Development Board in Bogra.

In Dhunot’s Shahrabari, 50m of the 727-metre spur succumbed to the river currents on Monday morning.

Bogra-1 MP Abdul Mannan and Bogra-5 MP Habibur Rahman say they have asked officials of the Water Development Board to take necessary measures to stop the erosions.

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