Dhaka Sunday, December 22, 2024

Flood likely to get worse, linger
  • Staff Correspondent
  • 2020-07-03 20:35:07

Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Friday predicted further deterioration in the flood situation in the 2nd week of the month.

In a special flood outlook issued in the afternoon the FFWC also said that floods would last until the third week of July because of heavy rains predicted in the upstream in places such as Arunachal, Assam and Meghalaya and West Bengal.

The flood outlook said that heavy rains from the last week of June caused flooding that engulfed many areas in north, north-east and central Bangladesh and it could further spread in the coming days.

‘The water level in the Brahmaputra basin is likely to rise through the 2nd week of July,’ said the special weather outlook.

Parts of Naogaon district would be inundated freshly with the deterioration predicted as conditions in the currently flood-hit districts such as Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Sirajganj, Tangail, Manikganj and Pabna would turn worse from bad, said the FFWC warning.

The FFWC also warned that the Teesta and Dharla rivers may rapidly rise in the 1st week and 2nd week of July, crossing their danger limit at places and inundating many areas.

The River Dharla has already been flowing above the danger level for a week until Friday with 379 villages affected by floodwaters submerging their homes and cropland.

In the 24 hours until 9:00am Friday, the Dharla swelled 21 cm, according to FFWC.

New Age correspondent in Kurigram reported that five hundred families already became homeless after losing their houses to erosion while floods also damaged 16,000 other houses.

The district’s Department of Agricultural Extension office confirmed that 6,880 hectares of cropland has been ravaged by floods.

New Age correspondent in Tangail reported that the Jamuna and its tributaries kept swelling, flowing above the danger level at three places in the district.

More than 1.50 lakh people have been marooned by floods in six upazilas in the district, he reported.

Over 147 square kilometre areas lay under floodwaters in the district and swelling rivers threatened to wash away the embankment at many places.

The Jamuna flowed above the danger mark at nine places from northern to central Bangladesh until Friday.

The FFWC predicted the River Padma may cross its danger mark at Mawa by Saturday morning and flood situations in Manikganj, Dhaka, Shariatpur, Faridpur and Munshiganj may deteriorate.

The Padma may keep swelling over the next two weeks, the FFWC said in its special flood outlook.

Rivers in the Meghna basin such as Sarigowain, Jadukata, Someswari, Kangsha, Manu and Khowai may cross their danger marks at places in the second week of the month, said FFWC.

The Halda, Sangu and Matamuhuri, rivers in the south-eastern hill basin, may also cross their danger marks at places during the same time, the FFWC warned.

India Meteorology Department reported rains in many to most areas in Arunachal, Assam and Meghalaya, West Bengal and Sikkim, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and East Uttar Pradesh on Friday and predicted it to persist until Tuesday.

Rainfall also picked up inside Bangladesh, with the FFWC recording the country’s highest rainfall of 160 mm at Gaibandha in the 24 hours until 9:00am Friday.

The FFWC also recorded heavy to very heavy rains at Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Bogura, Kurigram, Naogaon, Netrokona and Chattogram.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 140 mm of rain at Badalgachhi, Rajshahi at most places at Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions until 9:00am Saturday.

The BMD in its monthly outlook predicted floods in many areas in northern, central, western and eastern Bangladesh.

Department of Disaster Management said that floods already affected about one million people in 12 northern and central districts.

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