Continuous heavy rainfall over the past few days, along with upstream runoff, has caused the Teesta river to cross the danger level in Rangpur.
Sources said amidst sharp rise and quick fall in water levels of the Teesta resulting in temporary flooding in low-lying and char areas of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur and Kurigram, caused immense sufferings to many marooned people.
Over 25,000 people of 30 villages in Gangachara and Kaunia upazilas are now waterlogged, with houses and croplands under several feet of water.
Water flow at the Dalia point of the country’s largest irrigation project, Teesta Barrage, was recorded at 52.25 meters at 6am on Monday, 10cm above the danger mark. As a result, several low-lying areas, roads, and homes in the district have been inundated.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said the Teesta water level marked sharp rises on Sunday, when it crossed its DM at Dalia point in Nilphamari and was flowing above DM by 35cm at midnight on Sunday.
"However, since Monday water level started decreasing sharply and the river was flowing below DM by 10cm at Dalia point at 12pm," said Executive Engineer of the BWDB's Teesta Barrage Division Engineer Amitabh Chowdhury.
On the other hand, water level of the Teesta started marking a sharp rise since Monday at Kawnia point in Rangpur and the river was flowing above DM there by 20cm at noon.
Meanwhile, the intensity of rains has decreased in the northeastern states of India during the last 24 hours, creating a possibility of improvement of the temporary flood situation in the low-lying areas very soon.
Additional Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Engineer Dr Sarfaraz Banda said on Monday that all 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage Project at Dalia point in Nilphamari are remaining open to control the huge water flow in the Teesta river.
"Our engineers and other staff are monitoring the situation at all vulnerable locations and working on an emergency basis round the clock to preserve flood control dams whenever and wherever needed," Engineer Sarfaraz Banda added.
Executive Engineer Amitabh Chowdhury said water level of the Teesta continues showing a falling trend at Dalia point near the Teesta Barrage Project in Nilphamari district.
"We are working to save the flood control embankment by dumping sand bags along the right bank of the Teesta at the zero point in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat," he said.
Meanwhile, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of BWDB in a bulletin on Monday said water levels of the Teesta, Dharla, and Dudhkumar rivers in Rangpur division have increased during the last 24 hours.
Water levels of these rivers may decrease during the next three days when the existing flood situation in the low-lying areas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, and Kurigram districts may improve gradually.
Water levels of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system have increased during the last 24 hours. These rivers may continue to rise for the next two days, remain steady for the following three days and flow below the danger mark.
The recorded rainfalls in the upstream Indian states during the last 24 hours till 9am on Monday were 75mm at Coochbehar in West Bengal and 49mm at Mawsynram in Meghalaya points.
"During the same period, 153mm of rainfall was recorded at Panchagarh, 142mm at Kurigram, 73mm at Kawnia, 71mm at Dalia, and 59mm at Rangpur points in northern Bangladesh," the bulletin said.
