Floods spread, hit over 1.1 million in 15 Bangladesh districts

Major rivers and basins in Bangladesh continue to rise along with relentless and heavy monsoon rains and onrush from upstream as floods have spread to 15 districts.

The number of people affected by the floods has crossed 1.1 million, the disaster management and relief ministry said on Monday.

The waters have inundated and damaged homes, roads, educational institutions, and crop fields in these districts.

Five children drowned in Kurigram and two in Jamalpur.

The Flood Warning and Forecasting Centre of the Water Development Board warned that the levels of water in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganges-Padma rivers will rise in the next 72 hours.

The flood situation is likely to worsen in Kurigram, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Bogura, and Sirajganj while remain unchanged in Netrokona, Sunamganj and Sylhet, and improve in Lalmonirhat, Chattogram and Bandarban, the centre’s Executive Engineer Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com.

Waters of all the rivers except the Surma-Kushira were rising. On Monday, water rose at 68 of the 93 points being observed by the centre. Water was flowing above the danger level at 26 points.

In India, heavy rainfall has been in the warning for Assam and Meghalaya states in the upstream of Bangladesh in the next 24 hours.

Rainfall may decrease in Bangladesh in the next 48 hours, according to the Met Office.

Meteorologist Abul Kalam Mollick said many places in Mymensingh, Rangpur, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions may experience light to moderate rainfall.

Very heavy rainfall in the hilly areas of Chattogram may cause landslide, the Met Office warned.

The maximum rainfall of Monday was recorded 126 millimetre in Sherpur’s Nokli.

Meanwhile, Khulna Division is experiencing a heat wave amid heavy rainfall.

The highest temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Jashore.

In Chattogram Division, hundreds of homes have been totally submerged. Water was flowing 2 feet above the Satkania-Chandnanish Highway.

Two people were killed by the floods, and two others in landslide in Chattogram district.

Bandarban’s road link with Chattogram and the rest of the country has remained snapped.

Two people have been missing after being washed away by flash flood at Ruma Upazila in the district.

In the northern districts of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Bogura, Sirajganj and Gaibandha, river erosion has claimed hundreds of homes. Swathes of crop fields have also been submerged.

Sylhet Division has also experienced damage through submersion of homes, crop fields and roads.