Flooding in north, south likely to worsen

Flood situation in the north and the south are likely to deteriorate as heavy rainfall continued over the north-east and the south-east with major river systems swelling.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre issued a bulletin forecasting further deterioration as heavy rainfall continued over the north-eastern Indian states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura for which the rivers swelled upstream.
Major river systems — Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Ganges-Padma, and Meghna — continued swelling for a couple of days. The rivers were still flowing bellow danger mark, inundating more areas in Bangladesh’s north and south.
Rivers continued to swell at 40 points out of 73 river stations monitored, and they marked a fall at 22 point. The Surma was flowing 46cm above danger mark at Sunamganj and Kangsha was flowing 32cm above danger mark at Jariajhanjail.
A family of six, including four children aged between one and 10 years, were killed as their house collapsed during a mudslide at Baragaon at Nabiganj in Habiganj because of heavy overnight rainfall, the police said on Saturday.
At least 44 houses were damaged at Rangunia in Chittagong as parts of hills collapsed amid downpour that had continued for two days. A 200m stretch of the embankment was breached in high tide in the River Karnaphuli.
The New Age correspondent in Kurigram said all the 16 rivers flowing in the district were swelling for heavy rainfall and onrush of upstream water, inundating villages on the riverbanks. River erosion has taken a serious turn.
The Dharla submerged a vast expanse of cropland, houses on a two-kilometre stretch from Mogalbacha to Bhatlarpara in the district headquarters, making more than 1000 people of 200 families homeless.
The correspondent in Lalmoinirhat said low-lying areas of 10 unions in five upazilas were inundated because of continuous heavy rainfall and sudden onrush of water upstream.
At least 45,000 people have been marooned in the Teesta and Dharla sand bars and low-lying areas at Hatibandha, Kaliganj, Aditmari, Patgram and in the district headquarters.
The Moghalhat border outpost of the Bangladesh Rifles stands to be eroded as the camp was just 200 metres off the Dharla.
The River Brahmaputra rose by 29cm at the Chilmari point and the Teesta by 53cm at the Teesta Bridge point.
The Khuniya Gachh union council chairman, Abdul Malek, said people in villages had got not time to remove their belongings and they had taken shelter on the Teesta embankment.
The correspondent in Rangpur said several thousand houses in 20 villages in Gangachara had been marooned as the Teesta swelled. A 200ft stretch of the embankment at Nohali and 50 houses in Nohali, Mornea and Lakshmitarai have been washed away.
Makbul Miah and Hazera Begum of Kachua at Nohali said their houses had gone under chest-high water. The Lakshmitari union council chairman, Abdul Kader, said low-lying villages in the union had gone under water with the swelling of the River Teesta Friday night.
The Gangachara upazila nirbahi officer, Mahbubul Haq, said some villagers were submerged with a sudden rise in Teesta water Friday night.  He said repair workof the Teesta embankment was going on at Nohali.
The correspondent in Nilphamari said flood situation at Baish Pukur, Sonakhuli, Chatunama, Vendabari, Gopaljhar, Haldibari of Dimla had worsened.
Water Development Board officials said a sharp rise in Teesta water had threatened the main embankment at the Jharsingeswar point of Purba Chhatnai at Dimla.
The Dalia division executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Atikur Rahman, said the authorities were trying to protect the embankment by dumping sandbags and with bamboo pilings.
Reports from Netrakona said all the rivers in the district, including the Someswari, Kangsa and Dano, continued swelling because of incessant rainfall and onrush of hill water from across the border.
Swelling of the Padma stopped forced ferries to stop operation on the Mawa–Kawrakandi route. More than 400 vehicles remained stranded on both ends.
The River Padma rose by 28cm in 24 hours till Saturday morning, inundating the pontoon and the gangway of Terminal 2 at Kawrakandi and Terminal 3 at Mawa.
Reports from Bandarban said water began receding on the Bandarban–Chittagong Highway at Bazalia.
Although the Surma continued flowing above danger mark at Sunamgaon, flood situation in the district remained unchanged on Saturday.
Reports form Feni said major portions of at least 20 unions of Feni, Phulgazi, Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya had been submerged because of onrush of to onrush of hill water from the Indian state of Tripura and downpour that had continued for four days.

Courtesy of NewAgebd