Thousands of people living in the low-lying areas of the Teesta and Dharla rivers’ basin in Lalmonirhat were marooned due to downpours and onrush water from upstream in the last few days. The water level of the Teesta river has reached the danger level and the water level of Dharla was about to reach the danger level Saturday.
The badly affected areas of the district are: Kurul, Mogholhat, Kulaghat, Bowalmari, Rajpur, Kalmati, Khuniya Gachh, Gokunda, Milon Bazar, Teesta and Etapota villages of Lalmonirhat sadar upazila; Bongerbari, Sarkerbari, Dahagram, Sree Rampur and Bawra villages under Patgram upazila; Goddimari, Dowani, Sindurna, Dawabari, Paruliya and Patikapara villages under Hatibandha upazila; Votmari, Char Kakina, Rudreshewar, Jamirbari and Shoalmari villages of Kaliganj upazila; and Kadomtola, Balapara, Char Gobordhan and Balurbandh villages of Aditmari upazila.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said all the 44 gates of Teesta Barrage at Dowani area of Hatibandha upazila have been kept open since Saturday morning and water from the upstream Indian part of the river has flooded the district.
Many people have already taken shelter on government roads and at the WDB dam as their houses were flooded with knee-deep water, said Lalmonirhat BWDB official sources.
Lalmonirhat BWDB Executive Engineer Enayet Ullah said the water level of both the rivers Teesta and Dharla have been increasing alarmingly. If this continue for the next 24 hours, more than 100,000 people in Lalmonirhat would be affected badly.
