Water levels of all major rivers started rising again following onrush of huge amounts of water amid heavy monsoon rains from the upper catchment in India in the Brahmaputra basin during the last 24 hours till 9am Friday.
The Teesta crossed the danger level (52.6cm) and was flowing 28cm above it at Dalia points in Nilphamari at 6pm Friday, confirmed Bangladesh Water Development Board Guage Reader Nurul Islam.
He said that this is the fourth phase of flooding there.
Almost 10,000 are fearing inundation as they expect their villages and unions to go under water.
Officials of BWDB said water levels of major rivers might continue rising during the next 72 hours.
According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), heavy rains might continue in northern Bangladesh and adjoining northeastern Indian states of Assam, Meghalaya, and Bihar, and West Bengal during the next 72 hours.
Besides, 103mm rainfall was recorded at Chilmari in Kurigram, 58mm at Kawnia in Rangpur and 53mm at Gaibandha monitoring points of BWDB during the same period.
Due to huge onrush of water from the upstream, water levels of the Dharla rose by 18cm at Kurigram (24cm below danger level), Brahmaputra by 15cm at Noonkhawa point (43cm below danger) and 10cm at Chilmari (31cm below danger) respectively, in the last 24 hours.
Besides, water levels of the Jamuna river rose by 11cm at Fulchhari point (only 11cm below danger level) in Gaibandha, 6cm at Bahadurabad (21cm below danger) in Jamalpur, 4cm at Sariakandi (27cm below danger) in in Gaibandha, 2cm at Kazipur (35cm below danger) and 4cm at Sirajganj points (39cm below danger) in Sirajganj during the period.
Meghna River eroding houses, croplands, schools
In Barisal, Meghna River is causing erosion in Hizla upazila of Barisal in recent days and washed away many establishments including educational institutions, houses, croplands, and parts of upazila administrative complex.
Water Development Board sources said Meghna River is flowing 7cm above danger level at Chandpur point of Hizla engulfing different areas of six unions.
Local people said they do not want relief, but only steps to construct embankments to prevent erosion for saving the upazila.
“Since the beginning of the rainy season, the erosion has turned serious. The affected area is now under severe threat,” a local resident, Abdur Rashid Munshi, said.
Fresh floods inundate Sunamganj
Already flooded this year, people in the lowlands and haor areas of Sunamganj are seeing fresh flooding again due to heavy rainfall and water from upstream.
The Surma river was flowing 17cm above the danger mark at Shologhar point, and the Jadukata River was flowing 23cm above the danger mark in Bishwamvarpur upazila at 9am Friday.
The district water development board recorded 183mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
300-year-old school on the verge of being devoured by Chhoto Jamuna
In Naogaon, locals are demanding the conservation of a 300-year-old primary school. Erosion by the Chhoto Jamuna River has slowly been advancing on the school building and may soon devour it whole.
The Atgram Primary School was founded in 1757 by a landlord of those times, which was later made a government school after the country became independent.
Around 200 children of five villages are currently students of the school located in Atgram village of Naogaon's Atrai upazila. The school has six rooms in two single floor buildings.
On a visit to the school, Dhaka Tribune found that boats are the only means of reaching the school during the monsoon. The Chhoto Jamuna flows on the east side of Atrai village while the Atrai River flows on the southern side. Then there is a large beel (large waterbody) on the west side of the village.
Md Tayeib Ali Sarker, Nilphamari, Himadri Shekhar Bhodra, Sunamganj, Abdur Rouf Pavel, Naogaon, Md Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal contributed to this report
