Several villages have been inundated after heavy rains and landslides in the Chaitraghat area of Kamalganj upazila in Moulvibazar breached the flood protection embankment of the Dhalai River.
The erosion has affected an area of about 200 feet due to the strong current.
Locals said that the embankment broke around 3am on Tuesday following an upstream surge and rainfall. Water began to seep into the locality soon after. By 1:30pm on Wednesday, the water had entered through the 200-foot section of the embankment, flooding nearby villages.
Since 1pm, the Moulvibazar-Kamalganj road near Shamerkona market has been submerged under 1.5 feet of water, disrupting traffic. Despite the conditions, private cars, CNG autorickshaws, and other vehicles were seen plying the road.
Within a few hours, water levels rose in surrounding villages, including Chaikkut, Munshi Bazar, Chaitraghat, and Pratapi of Munshi Bazar Union. The lower areas of these villages are now submerged, with water entering homes. More than 200,000 people are stranded in Moulvibazar.
Residents of seven upazilas in Moulvibazar district are struggling to evacuate their homes. Rainwater has flooded various villages, including Matar Kapan, Boliyarbhag, Sabia, and Shyamerkona in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila’s Chandnighat Union.
There is an ongoing flood threat as the Manu River occasionally reaches danger levels. On Wednesday morning, Chairman Akhtar Uddin urged local shopkeepers to secure their goods.
Flooding has also been reported in several unions of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila, Kamalganj upazila, Barlekha upazila, Juri upazila, Rajnagar upazila, Srimangal upazila, and Kulaura upazila.
Rain-triggered flooding maroons nearly 200,000 in MoulvibazarJaved Iqbal, executive engineer of the Moulvibazar Water Development Board, confirmed new erosion in several places along the Dhalai River.
Efforts are underway to prevent further erosion using geo bags. The Manu, Dhalai, and Juri rivers are flowing above the danger level.
