The flood situation in parts of the north might deteriorate today with forecasts of the Teesta and Dharla briefly flowing near their danger marks.
The two rivers freshly swelling beyond their flood levels meant increased suffering for the flood-stricken northern districts, mainly Kurigram, the worst-affected so far.
The overall flood situation improved, though slowly, on Wednesday with all the eight rivers above their flood levels falling.
The Teesta swelled up to 24 cm in the 24 hours until 9:00am on Wednesday.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said that the flood situation in low-lying areas in Kurigram might deteriorate because of the potential swelling of the Teesta and Dharla in the 24 hours ending in the afternoon today.
The FFWC in its bulletin issued in the afternoon on Wednesday said that the flood situation at some low-lying areas along the Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers in Kurigram, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Bogura, Tangail and Sirajganj districts might not improve much because of potential heavy rainfall in the northern, north-eastern region and its adjacent upstream areas over the next 48 hours.
鈥楳oderately heavy to heavy rainfall is predicted in most places of the northern region and some places in south-eastern region over the next 48 hours,鈥� said meteorologist Monowar Hossain.
India Meteorological Department predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Odisha, Nagaland and Manipur through July 14.
Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is predicted in parts of the upstream tomorrow.
The IMD put Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya under red and orange alert through today.
Red alert is the highest level of warning issued by the IMD for potential rainfall.
The official flood death toll reached 27. Of the deaths, 12 were recorded in Sylhet, seven in Rangpur, six in Moulvibazar, and one each in Feni and Mymensingh.
Of the deaths, 20 were confirmed by the health emergency control room while seven other deaths were confirmed by the disaster management and relief ministry.聽
The ministry said that about two million people were affected by the ongoing flood in 18 districts that started in places on June 14.
A total of 28,511 people sheltered in flood shelters in seven flood-affected districts in the north and north-eastern regions until Wednesday, along with hundreds of cattle, according to daily disaster reports.
The highest number of 9,641 people was in flood shelters in Sylhet.
Over 5,000 people took refuge in flood shelters in Moulvibazar and Gaibandha. People are also in flood shelters in Sunamganj, Jamalpur, Kurigram and Sirajganj.
Some flood shelters are open for up to three weeks. People at the flood shelters are apparently the poorest and most underprivileged.
Flood shelter is the last resort for people choosing to move to relatives and then to higher grounds such as on embankments and roads before moving to flood shelters.
Flood shelters are characterized by humanitarian conditions with the shelter seekers complaining that they are given food once a day in the best case scenario.
In some of the places the ongoing flood is going to stay for a while. In Jagannathganj of Jamalpur, the Jamuna was still flowing 87cm above the danger mark.
The largest drop of 18cm in the water level was recorded in the Jamuna at Saghata in Gaibandha in the 24 hours until 9:00am on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 89mm of rainfall in Sylhet in the 24 hours until 6:00pm on Wednesday.
