Heavy rainfall and tidal surge influenced by the low in the Bay of Bengal have inundated many districts and chars in the coastal belt.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall from Tuesday lashed the coastal region and some other parts of the country, Dhaka Met office reported.
Rivers of Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali and Barisal experienced tidal surge up to five feet high.
In Patuakhali, many Aman fields went under water as the dam built to control flooding was damaged. Also fish worth several hundred crore taka were washed away due to the overflow of hatcheries and ponds, said a source of district fisheries office.
An embankment in Bagerhat is also under threat of collapse raising concern about shrimp hatcheries.
Meanwhile, communication between Kuakata and other parts of the country remains suspended from yesterday morning as gangways of all three ferries plying between Patuakhali and Kuakata went under water.
In Chittagong, the port authorities said cargo handling was hampered due to the rainfall.
In Cox’s Bazar, about 52 villages were flooded by the tidal surge. Around 10 fishing trawlers did not return to the coast while 7,000 trawlers are kept near the coast for safety.
This year the highest rainfall was recorded in Barisal and Patuakhali during the past two days, local Met offices said.
Other low-lying areas of the coastal districts and chars are also likely to be inundated by wind-driven surges, Met officials said.
Dhaka Met office sources said the low pressure in the Bay might be gradually moving towards the Indian state of Orissa increasing the possibility of clearer weather in many parts of the country by tomorrow.
Coastal belts, however, will possibly have rainfall until the day after tomorrow, they said.
Earlier, the maritime ports at Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla were told to hoist cautionary signal three while river ports to hoist signal two. All kinds of fishing trawlers have been asked to stay close to the coast.
Dhaka city had 16mm rainfall yesterday. Traffic movement was disrupted by the incessant rain and thus thoroughfares especially the VIP roads experienced long tailbacks. People were seen waiting in long queues for transport at the city bus stops.
Our correspondents from Barisal, Patuakhali, Bagerhat, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar contributed to this report.
