Teesta breaches danger level, all 44 barrage gates thrown open

Upstream surge pushes river above critical level after rapid fluctuations through the day

The Teesta River has crossed its danger mark amid a continuous surge of water from upstream, now flowing one centimetre above the warning threshold.

To manage the situation, authorities have opened all 44 sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage at Nilphamari's Dalia point.

Amitabh Chowdhury, an executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board's (BWDB) Dalia Division, said on Tuesday afternoon that the river was flowing at 52.16cm at the Dalia point at 3pm.

The danger level at this specific point is 52.15cm.

The river had been well below danger level earlier in the day, sitting 5cm under at 6am and 10cm under at 9am.

It dipped further to 15cm below danger level around noon before surging sharply to breach the mark by 3pm, he added.

Amitabh confirmed that all 44 sluice gates of the barrage have been opened to handle the rush.

Nurul Islam, a water gauge reader at the Dalia Water Development Board's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, said the water level stood at 51.76m at 12pm on Monday, which was 39cm below the danger mark, remaining unchanged until 3pm.

The water, however, rose rapidly over the next three hours to reach 51.98m at 6pm, which was 17cm below the danger level.

It climbed another 7cm over the subsequent three hours, flowing at 52.05m at 9pm, 10cm below the line.

Flood fear has gripped Char and low-lying communities along the Teesta basin as the river continues to rise.

Local administration and the BWDB are keeping round-the-clock watch on riverbank areas to protect lives and property.