Continuous rains and an onrush of upstream water have caused flooding in four upazilas in the lower part of Sylhet.
Water levels were rising rapidly until 12pm on Thursday. The administration, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and other political workers are actively engaged in rescuing people trapped by the floodwaters.
The affected upazilas are Jaintapur, Gowainghat, Kanaighat, and Companiganj. Various areas within these upazilas are submerged, and river water has crossed the danger level at several points.
Erosion has occurred at four locations in the Sari-Goyain Wapda embankment project in Jaintapur, causing water to inundate houses in Jaintapur Sadar upazila.
Many residents are trapped in the rising waters, and the Surma River in Sylhet is also approaching the danger level.
Sylhet Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mohammad Mubarak Hossain said: “A control room has been opened for the flood situation. Meetings of district and upazila level disaster management committee have taken place. Rapid rescue operations are underway. The army is ready. If necessary, they will also participate in rescue and relief distribution.”
Low-lying areas in parts of Sylhet inundated, communication snappedSheikh Russel Hasan, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, said that on Thursday morning, cooked food and water were distributed among people sheltering in Jaintapur.
Deepak Ranjan Das, executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Sylhet, noted that increased rainfall in India’s Meghalaya region has led to rising water levels in Sylhet’s rivers. Water is flowing above the danger level at four points along the border rivers.
BWDB Sub-Divisional Engineer Md Tanveer Islam confirmed that the Surma River had not crossed the danger level at the Sylhet point until 9am, though the water level was still rising. However, the Surma River has crossed the danger level at the Kanaighat point. The Kushiara River at Amalsad Point, the Sari River in Jaintiapur, the Dawki River in Gowainghat, and the Goyain and Dhalai rivers are all flowing above the danger line.
Officials said that due to heavy rains and an onrush of upstream water under the influence of Cyclone Remal, the haor and low-lying areas of Gowainghat, Companiganj, Jaintapur, and Kanaighat upazilas are already flooded. Several roads in these upazilas are submerged, blocking traffic. Residents have started moving to shelters as houses collapse.
On Thursday morning, local residents said that floodwaters were flowing through Banglabazar section number 4 of the Sylhet-Tamabil road.
