Published : 17 Jun 2023, 05:45 PM
Updated : 17 Jun 2023, 05:45 PM
Heavy rain at the beginning of monsoon has triggered a flash flood in parts of India’s Assam, a worrying sign for Bangladesh as a similar situation last year caused what was widely viewed as the worst flooding in the country in over a century.
At least 34,189 people from 11 districts of Assam have been affected so far, the Indian Express reports.
Assam is considered the upstream of the Barak River, which divides into two major rivers downstream in Bangladesh - Surma and Kushiyara. Overflowing water from the Barak tends to move downstream to Bangladesh, especially the Haor or back swamp region.
The greater Sylhet region, which includes the districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kishoreganj, is considered the back swamp region.
Monsoon started in Assam on Jun 10 and an average rainfall of 41 mm in 24 hours was recorded as of Friday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. The Indian Met Office also predicted moderate rainfall over the next five days, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places.
The monsoon has already started to affect Bangladesh’s weather pattern as the Met Office recorded 221 mm of rainfall in the Sylhet district on Thursday, the first day of the rainy season according to the Bangla calendar.
As much as 35 mm of rainfall was recorded in Srimangal on the day, which on average, experiences the highest annual rainfall in Bangladesh.
Analysts tasked with predicting early flood warnings have been considering the heavy rains as an ominous sign.
On Thursday, Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, the executive engineer at the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said that due to heavy rainfall upstream, the water level of Surma and Kushiyara rivers might rise to a significant level and certain parts of Sylhet and Sunamganj districts may be hit by flash floods.
“Since the beginning of June, the monsoon has influenced Bangladesh's weather, increasing the rainfall trend in the country and upstream basins. Especially since the beginning of this week, there has been heavy rainfall in the northeastern region of the country and adjoining upstream areas,” he said.
Arifuzzaman also said the FFWC’s latest projection indicates the water level of major rivers, including Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Dharla, and Teesta in the northern part of the country, may continue to rise.
In the last week of June, the water level of Jamuna could go over the danger zone.
The weather forecast for the next two weeks predicts light to moderate rainfall over the southeast hilly basins and coastal areas.
However, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department dismissed the possibility of significant flooding during the period.
Last year, record rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya triggered massive floods, which later hit Bangladesh, submerging hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable land full of ready-to-be-harvested crops.
The floods impacted urban and rural lives equally, as thousands of people temporarily became homeless, and at one point, the whole of Sylhet city went underwater.
