Incessant heavy rain, particularly in the coastal division Chattogram, triggered flash floods in low lying areas and landslides disrupting road communication on Saturday.
The hilly district Khagrachari was cut off from Dhaka for two and a half hours following a hill slide dumping debris, tress and electric poles on the road at Shapmara in Khagrachari鈥檚 Alutila.
鈥楾raffic movement on Dhaka-Khagrachhari highway remained suspended for over two hours since 9:00am,鈥� said Maksudur Rahman, executive engineer of the roads and highways department.
Unabated hill-cutting left many hills vulnerable to slides across the Chattogram division. This was the second hill slide in less than three months in the Alutila area.
In Dakkhin Kanchona of Satkania, onrush of water amidst heavy rain caused the Shokho canal to wash away parts of its banks, said the upazila nirbahi officer Milton Biswas.
Satkania鈥檚 Keuchia union parishad chairman Osman Ali said that low-lying parts of his union, including agricultural fields, went under water.
鈥楾he onrush of water from hills in Bandarban following heavy rain caused inundation in one of my neighboring unions as well,鈥� said Osman.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned that the ongoing spell of heavy to very heavy rain was likely to continue through the middle of the week.
The wet spell is triggered by a low persisting over the north-west Bay of Bengal and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal-Bangladesh coast.
The BMD advised all four maritime ports of the country 鈥� Payra, Mongla, Chattogram and Cox鈥檚 Bazar 鈥� to hoist signal number three until further notice.
Fishing boats and trawlers have been asked to stay close to the coast until further notice.
The BMD said that in the 24 hours until 6:00am on Saturday Bangladesh鈥檚 highest maximum rainfall of 187mm was recorded in Sandwip.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall was also recorded in the Barishal division.
A landslide warning is also in place for the Chattogram division until tomorrow.
The wet spell has brought a momentary relief for the government by lowering the power demand.
India Meteorological Department on Saturday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Bangladesh鈥檚 upstream regions through August 23.
The onrush of water from upstream along with heavy rain lifted rivers in the southeastern hill basin by up to 273cm in the 24 hours until 9:00am on Saturday, said Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.
Over the 48 hours, major rivers in the hill basin might rapidly swell, the FFWC said in a bulletin issued on Saturday afternoon.
