Rise in Jamuna, Brahmaputra waters worsens northern flood situation

Flood is taking more serious turn in some northern districts as the mighty Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers have continued to flow over the danger-level. Erosion is also taking toll in some riverbank areas.SirajganjThe water-level of the Jamuna river has risen by 26cm over the last 24 hours till 3pm on Friday, flooding the char areas of 28 unions in five upazilas of the district. The river was flowing 2cm above the danger-line at Kazipur point while 1cm above the line at Sirajganj hard point. The riverbank protection embankment at Chauhali upazila has been threatened by the vortexes swirling in the river. The river eroded some parts of Char Salimabad area near the embankment area on Friday morning. Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) dropped sandbags to prevent further erosion there. Sirajganj BWDB Executive Engineer Syed Hasan Imam said the water-level of the Jamuna had increased by 32cm over the last two days.KurigramErosion caused by the strong current in the Brahmaputra river has rendered about 50 families homeless in Ramna and Ashtamirchar unions under Rajarhat upazila. The erosion is still alive in that area, posing threats of displacement to around 300 more families. Ramna Union Parishad Chairman Md Asgar Ali told Dhaka Tribune that he had informed the BWDB officials about the severity of the erosion, but the officials were yet to take any action.JamalpurSome 15,000 people have been marooned as flash flood caused by heavy rainfall and onrush of water from the upstream areas is sweeping over the district’s Islampur and Dewanganj upazilas. The Jamuna was flowing about 19cm over the danger-level at Bahadurabad point. Islampur Upazila Nirbahi Officer ABM Ehsanul said they had taken all the preparations and kept all the shelter centres ready in the flood-affected areas to tackle any serious situation.MoulvibazarThough flood water has been receding from most parts of Hakaluki Haor in Moulvibazar, about 300,000 people in Barlekha, Juri, Kulaura, Rajnagar and Sadar upazilas under the Haor region  are still marooned. Moulvibazar BWDB Executive Engineer Indra Bijoy Shankar Chakraborty said the water-level of the Haor was dropping down with the decrease of the water-level in the Kushiara river. The flood water might recede from the human habitations of Hakaluki Haor in three to four more days if the current trend continues, he added.