Though all the major rivers of the country are in falling trend except the Padma, the water level in the rivers around the capital continues to rise. But they are still flowing below the danger level, says an official of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB).
The water level in Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Tongi canal recorded a 70-cm rise in last seven days, according to the BWDB’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
The River Sitalakya also swelled 60-cm by this time.
“These rivers are now flowing below the danger level, but if the current trend continues, they will cross the danger level within five days,” Sarder Udoy Raihan, an FFWC official, told The New Nation on Sunday night.
He said the River Jamuna is flowing over the danger level in six points. This has led to rise in water level around the capital.
The River Jamuna was flowing 101-cm above the danger level at Fulchari point, 110-cm at Bahadurabad, 86-cm in Sariakandi, 85-cm in Kazipur, 75-cm at Serajganj and 42-cm at Aricha, according to FFWC.
When asked, Sarder Udoy Raihan said, if the rivers around Dhaka continue to rise, some low-lying areas around it may be inundated. But it will not cause major flooding in the capital. Nearly 70,000 hectors of farmland are reported to be damaged from flooding so far this year, according to an official estimate.
The floods damaged over 4,178 km roads and embankments.
It also led to closure of 3,152 schools and worships, washed away 19,318 houses, partially damaged 544,372 others in 21 affected districts, according to the statistics compiled by the National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
The NDRCC report said about 40 lakh people of 13 districts (45 upazials) have been marooned by the latest flood, caused by incessant downpours and onrush of water from upstream.
Major rivers crossed danger marks at 21 more points across the country as all the four of the country’s major basins continued to rise, according to a bulletin of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) issued on Sunday.
Flood situation in Tangail and Sirajganj districts may improve while flood situation in Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur and Munshiganj districts may remain unchanged in the next 24 hours, the FFWC bulletin said adding flood situation in Bogura, Jamalpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Sylhet districts may improve in next 24 hours.
