The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh is bracing for yet another devastating flooding as major rivers are now flowing above their danger levels due to heavy downpour across the country and in neighbouring India, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).

A flood-bypass dam built at Teesta barrage project collapsed in Lalmonirhat under the thrust of onrush of river waters Friday night

Different districts, including Sirajganj, Sylhet, Sherpur, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Noakhali and Khagrachhari have been flooded again due to heavy rainfalls and onrush of waters from the hilly regions bordering India.

The FFWC said in a bulleting yesterday that monsoon remains vigorously active over the Ganges, Meghna Brahmaputra basins both in and outside the country and also over the south-eastern hill basin.

Quoting the Indian Meteorological Department forecast, the FFWC said widespread rainfall with scatered heavy to very heavy falls is likely over Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Gangetic West Bengal and East Utar Pradesh under the Ganges basin, Assam and Meghalaya and Arunachal

Pradesh under the Brahmaputra basin during next three to four days. Fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is also likely over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura under the Meghna basin during next 2-3 days.

Bangladesh meteorological Department also forecast for heavy to very heavy rainfall at places over the country during next 24 hours.

Under the influence of active monsoon, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at places over all the six divisions of the country in the next 24 hours till 9am today (Sunday), said a Met Office bulletin.

High flood situation prevails in Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Sonitpur and Sivsagar districts in the Indian state Assam and the flood water will automatically be drained by the Brahmaputra through Bangladesh.

Northern districts like Kurigram. Lalmonirhat, Rangpur and Gaibandha are experiencing flash flood as the Sub-Himalayan West Bengal discharging huge runoff (generated from very heavy rainfall during last couple of days) through flashy rivers the Teesta, Dharla and Dudkumar.

The prevailing flood situation in Sylhet is likely to deteriorate further and will spread ove Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Netrokona in the next 24-48 hours.

South-eastern Feni, Chitagonj, Rangamati, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar are experiencing flash flood and the situation may deteriorate in the next 24 hours.

The mighty Brahmaputra-Jamuna is rising alarmingly and may cross danger level at Bahadurabad, Chilmari and Aricha by next 24 hours. The river is flowing 35cm above danger level at Sirajganj and the rising trend is likely to continue in the next 24-72 hours.

The Ganges-Padma is also in rising trend and flowing 25cm and 18cm above danger level at Goalundo and Bhagyakul respectively. The river is likely to rise further in the next 24-72 hours.

North, north-central and south-central parts of the country are in a threat of second spell of flooding by next 48-72 hours.

Our Lalmonirhat district correspondent reports: Flood-bypass dam built at Teesta barrage project around the Teesta river in Hatibanda upazila of the district collapsed.

Sources said some 75 villages in four upazilas of the district were flooded at about 11pm, leaving about two lakh people marooned. Crops on the huge tract of lands went under the floodwaters.Valuables worth several crores were also destroyed in the flooding.

The floodwaters also washed away huge fishes of many ponds and water bodies in Hatibanda, Kaliganj, Aditmari and Sadar Upasilas.

The Teesta river was flowing 52cm above its danger level at Teesta barrage point DC Rafiqul Islam, SP Jamsher Ali and officials of local administration visited the spot