Yet another low has formed over the North Bay on Monday, the fourth of its kind to form this month when almost ceaseless heavy rains coupled with high tide caused widespread flooding of the coastal region.

Thousands of people are still stranded in water in parts of the coastal region with meteorologists predicting fresh flood under the influence of the low from tomorrow.

As rivers drained slow, vast areas in central districts still remained in the throes of water stagnation with dozens of families living in flood shelters run by the government and hundreds others on roads or embankment or at relatives.

Five rivers, including the Padma, flowed above their flood levels at six points  until Monday afternoon.

‘After a short break of two days rivers are likely to stabilise again from tomorrow because of the low,’ said meteorologist Abdul Mannan.  

He explained that the low is likely to give rise to big waves and bring heavy winds driving tidal surges two to three feet above their normal heights when it moves inland on Wednesday.

‘The low is likely to bring heavy rains as well, mostly in the coastal region,’ said Mannan.

He feared that coastal areas might get freshly inundated.

The Met Office prediction brings bad news for thousands of people in coastal region where embankment remained riddled with holes ever since the damage inflicted by the super cyclone Amphan in late May, just before the monsoon began.

New Age correspondent in Khulna reported that water continued to gush in through the cracks in embankment in Koyra and was about to engulf the Koyra upazila parishad office premises.

Koyra upazila nirbahi officer Animesh Biswas said that there were three major breaches through which most of the seawater was coming in, one of them expanded across a 600-foot area.

At least 1,000 people have been driven out of their homes in Koyra onto embankment where they were seen preparing to leave for a while predicting the flooding to turn worse in the coming days.

The Koyra UNO office informed that over 8,500 people have already been affected by the flooding.

Water Development Board officials said that they were working to repair the embankment in at least at 30 points but it would take another two months to complete the task of repairing.

The River Kapotakkho was flowing 3 feet above the normal tide in the afternoon on Monday, said WDB officials.

New Age correspondent in Barishal reported that about 1,00,000 people were still stranded in water in the low-lying areas in the city though rivers receded significantly on Monday.

He said that the flooding badly impacted the livelihoods of the city poor for they mostly live in the low-lying areas and many of them could not go to work because of the flooding.

‘We are already suffering a lot. I cannot imagine what will happen when it starts raining again,’ said Hasina Begum, a resident of Palashpur in Barishal city.

Vast areas in Hizla, Mehendiganj and Agailjhara remained inundated though rivers receded on Monday. Locals said a few more days were needed for the water to completely recede.

New Age correspondent in Satkhira reported that over 1,00,000 people in more than 50 villages in Ashashuni and Shyamnagar upazilas have been affected by the flooding.

Meteorologically, August is the last of the three monsoon months and there is a warning that fresh flooding might occur at the end of the month.

Monsoons are flood prone in Bangladesh and the current water stagnation in central Bangladesh is the continuation of the flood triggered by heavy rains upstream on June 27.

The flood expanded for over a month gradually engulfing 33 districts from northern to central Bangladesh, and some of them are still under water.

New Age correspondent in Munshiganj reported that 292 families were still at 19 flood shelters at Shreenagar and Louhojong upazilas as their houses were still under water.

Of the affected families, 250 are at 11 shelters of Louhojong upazila.

The Padma was flowing a quarter of a metre above the flood level at Goalondo in Rajbari, an adjacent district of Munshiganj. The Padma is flowing above the danger mark at Sureswar of Shariatpur as well.

Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Monday morning said that the flood situation might improve at Rajbari, Manikganj and Faridpur over the next 24 hours.

But the Padma might swell again because of heavy rains predicted over the Gangetic West Bengal between Tuesday and Wednesday under the influence of the low.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department asked four maritime ports in the country to keep hoisting signal no three until further notice because of the rough sea.

The BMD said that the low-lying areas of 13 coastal districts, their offshore isl