Continuous rainfall since Wednesday evening has led to rising water levels in rivers across Sylhet, raising concerns about potential flooding. The rain intensified on Friday morning and has continued without pause.
Heavy downpours, which began Thursday night, have caused severe waterlogging in several areas of Sylhet city, including Madina Market, Dargah Mahalla, Pir Mahalla, Housing Estate, Shibganj, Mendibagh, Railgate, Machimpur, South Surma, and Major Tila.
Residents in these areas are facing significant difficulties due to the inundation.
According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, the region recorded 87.4mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period from 6am Thursday to 6am Friday.
An additional 128.2mm of rainfall was recorded from 6am to 6pm on Friday.
The Sylhet office of the Water Development Board (WDB) reported that water levels have risen at two points of the Surma River, four points of the Kushiyara River, and one point each in the Luba, Sari, Dawki, Dholai, and Sari-Gowain rivers.
However, none of the rivers have yet crossed their danger levels.
WDB Sylhet Executive Engineer Dipak Ranjan Das said that rainfall in the surrounding hills is contributing to the increase in river water levels.
“Water from the upstream areas, including Cherrapunji, is flowing into Bangladesh’s river systems, causing the levels to rise,” he explained. “In addition, Sylhet itself is experiencing heavy rainfall.”
Sylhet Meteorological Office official Shah Md Sajib Hossain said that most parts of Sylhet may experience light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and temporary gusty or squally winds.
