Heavy rainfall and upstream onrush have caused the water level in the Teesta River to rise again, with forecasts suggesting it may cross the danger level within the next 24 hours, starting Sunday.
This could trigger flooding in low-lying areas of Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, and Kurigram districts adjacent to the river, according to a bulletin issued by the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) on Sunday.
BWDB Kurigram Executive Engineer Rakibul Hasan confirmed the forecast.
The bulletin said that water levels of the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Dharla, and Dudhkumar rivers are on the rise and may continue to increase over the next 24 hours, potentially stabilising over the following two days.
According to the BWDB control room in Kurigram, 148mm of rainfall was recorded in the Teesta basin in the last 24 hours. Between 6am and 3pm on Sunday, the water level of the Teesta rose by 14cm at the Kaunia gauge station in Rangpur, flowing 40cm below the danger level at that time.
Forecasts issued on Sunday warned that the Teesta may cross the danger level in the next 24 hours, increasing the risk of flooding in low-lying river-adjacent areas of Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, and Lalmonirhat.
However, as of Sunday afternoon, no visible signs of flooding were observed in low-lying areas of Rajarhat and Ulipur upazilas of Kurigram, residents said.
Milon, a resident of Chatra area in Bidyanand Union of Rajarhat upazila, said: “The water is rising a bit, but not enough to cause flooding yet.”
WDB Executive Engineer Rakibul Hasan added: “Teesta water may cross the danger level, which could flood some homes and farmland in low-lying areas. However, it is likely to be short-term. Despite the rise in other rivers, they are not expected to reach the danger level.”