The flood situation deteriorated in Rangamati, Bandarban, Khulna and Benapole of Jessore following incessant rainfall and flash floods triggered by upstream hill runoff, leaving thousands of people stranded on Saturday.
In Rangamati, the flood situation in Rangamati's Bilaichhari upazila worsened as continuous heavy rainfall and rising water levels in the hills and Kaptai Lake caused the Raingkhang River to overflow, inundating vast low-lying areas and cutting off communication with the worst-hit Farua union, reports our Rangamati correspondent.
According to the district administration and local residents, the entire Farua Bazar has gone under floodwater, submerging around 150 shops and forcing businesses to shut down. Floodwaters have also entered numerous homes, prompting affected families to take shelter at Farua High School and the Union Parishad building.
Water transport between the upazila headquarters and Farua has been suspended due to the river's strong current, making it impossible to deliver relief supplies directly.
Rangamati Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Ruhul Amin said attempts to send relief by boat had failed because of dangerous river conditions. "As an alternative, we are arranging rice, lentils and edible oil from local markets for distribution among the affected people," he said.
Bilaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Zakir Hossain said landslides had intensified the river's current, making travel by boat unsafe.
A bridge on the Rangamati-Bandarban road collapsed after days of heavy rainfall and strong flows from upstream hill streams, disrupting road communication between the two districts.
The Bridgeghat Bridge collapsed yesterday after a strong current, triggered by the breach of a rubber dam embankment in the Sukhvilas-Dudhpukuria area of Padua Union in Rangunia upazila of Chittagong, swept through the area, according to local residents and officials.
The collapse has halted all vehicular movement on the Rangamati-Bandarban road since Saturday morning, causing significant disruption to transport.
Liton Das, general secretary of the Bangalhalia CNG Association, and local CNG drivers Nunu Badsha and Manik said rivers and hill streams swelled after several days of continuous rain. They said the breach of the rubber dam embankment created a strong current that ultimately caused the bridge to collapse.
Residents of the Dudhpukuria-Bridgeghat area, including Md Tushar and Md Tipu, said the collapse has caused immense hardship for local people.
They said hill floods occur almost every monsoon, but the suffering continues due to the lack of permanent flood-control measures. They urged the authorities to immediately rebuild the damaged embankment and repair the collapsed bridge or construct a new one.
Sakhawat Hossain, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department in Bandarban, confirmed that the bridge collapsed after the rubber dam embankment failed, generating a powerful current.
Bandarban, the flood situation in Bandarban worsened again on Saturday as fresh areas were inundated following renewed heavy rainfall, cutting off road communication across the hill district and disrupting electricity, mobile networks and internet services, according to our Bandarban correspondent reports.
After floodwaters receded slightly on Friday, continuous rain since Saturday morning caused water levels to rise again. Local sources said floodwaters increased by as much as seven feet in parts of Bandarban Sadar, including Kalaghata, Kasempara, Memberpara, Islampur, Banarupapara, Hafezghona, the bus station area, Catchinghata, Noapara and Sher-e-Banglanagar.
The Sangu, Matamuhuri and Bankkhali rivers are still flowing above the danger level, suspending river transport to Ruma, Lama and several other areas. The Bandarban-Chattogram road, which had briefly reopened to light vehicles on Friday, was submerged again on Saturday, while road communication with Rangamati and all seven upazilas of the district remains cut off due to flooding and landslides.
The disruption has led to shortages of essential commodities, rising prices and extensive damage to agricultural land. Power supply and telecommunications remain intermittent in many flood-hit areas.
Authorities have opened 220 shelters across the district, where around 7,000 people had taken refuge by Friday. Many others are staying in multi-storey buildings instead of official shelters.
Bandarban Municipality Administrator S.M. Manjurul Haque said evacuees at municipal shelters are receiving cooked food, dry rations, water purification tablets and mosquito coils.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 79 millimetres of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 6am on Saturday, indicating continued heavy rainfall across the district.
Benapole, several storage sheds at Benapole Land Port were flooded after two days of continuous rainfall, leaving imported goods partially submerged and disrupting operations, reports UNB.
Water accumulated in five sheds near Gate No. 3, with levels reaching knee height in some areas. Port authorities deployed power pumps to drain the water, but continuous rain hampered efforts.
Importers blamed poor drainage and unplanned infrastructure for recurring monsoon waterlogging, alleging that goods worth hundreds of crores of taka remain at risk every year without insurance coverage.
Benapole Land Port Director Shamim Hossain said some imported goods were damaged and assured that work is underway on a permanent solution to the drainage problem.
Khulna, large parts of Khulna city remained submerged after 184 millimetres of rainfall over the past 51 hours, causing severe waterlogging and widespread disruption to daily life, while residents questioned the effectiveness of a Tk 823-crore drainage improvement project, reports UNB.
According to the Khulna Meteorological Office, the city received 184 millimetres of rainfall over the past 51 hours.
The persistent rain inundated roads, lanes and low-lying areas, leaving many areas under knee-deep water and causing widespread suffering for commuters, students, transport workers and residents.
The worst-affected areas include Mujgunni, Royal Mor, Tutpara, Jinnah Nagar, Daulatpur, Atra, Giltala, Dilkhola, Banargati and Sheikhpara.
Residents and environmental activists said waterlogging has become a recurring problem during the monsoon due to inadequate drainage planning, despite years of infrastructure development under the city's drainage improvement project.
Nazrul Islam Manju, KCC Administrator attributed the persistent waterlogging to multiple factors, including poor drainage planning in previous years, incomplete drainage works, an inoperative pump house on the Rupsha River and dysfunctional sluice gates.