Tens of thousands of dwellers of the chars (shoals) dotting the Teesta River were asked to move to safer places after India had opened floodgates at the Gajoldoba barrage on Friday night following several days of very heavy rain.聽聽
The Teesta in the upstream in India is already causing flood in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts amidst persistent very heavy rain across sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, with up to 270mm of rainfall recorded in the 24 hours until 8:30am on Saturday.
The Ganges, on the other hand, triggered flooding in at least 30 points along its course in east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal in India amidst very heavy rain continuing in the upstream in Nepal, lifting the main tributaries of the river above their danger levels.
The very heavy rainfall in Nepal and India is likely to continue through today, according to forecasts, potentially leading to greater flooding.
鈥業ndia opened 44 out of 55 floodgates at the Gajoldoba barrage at about 9:30pm on Friday,鈥� said Asfauddulla, executive engineer, Dalia division of the Bangladesh Water Development Board.
The char dwellers in four districts, namely Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha, along the Teesta, estimated to be 66,000, were warned of potential flooding of the low lying areas and asked to relocate to higher grounds, he said.
The Teesta was flowing 5cm below its danger mark at 3:00pm on Saturday.
The sudden swelling of the Teesta triggered fear among the char dwellers, leaving 3,000 families marooned in some areas, including Gaddimari, Aditmari, Gobardhan, Moheshkhocha and Hatibandha in Lalmonirhat.
Standing aman rice fields in 33,000 hectare in the four districts has been inundated, threatening to destroy it in case of the water level rising, which is likely over the next 24 hours.
Farmer Saiful Huda in Harinchara of the sadar upazila said that they could not leave home over the last four days because of heavy rains, inundating his paddy and pumpkin fields.
鈥楴ow there is a flood heading our way,鈥� said Saiful.聽聽
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in a bulletin issued on Saturday afternoon warned that the water levels in northern rivers, including the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar, might keep rising over the next 24 hours.
The water level in the Teesta might cross the danger mark in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts in the next 24 hours, the bulletin said.
BWDB Rangpur zone superintendent engineer Ahsan Habib said that the swollen Teesta swallowed 84 houses between Friday and Saturday afternoon.
鈥楾he effect of the flooding in Nepal might reach Bangladesh three days later,鈥� said Sarder Udoy Raihan, executive engineer at the FFWC.
The website of the Nepal鈥檚 energy, water resources and irrigation department showed that the tributaries of the Ganges, including Saptakoshi, Dudh Koshi, Bagmati and Tamor, were flowing above their danger levels.
International media reported that flash flood triggered in Nepal killed 32 people amidst continued heavy rain that also triggered landslides. The rainfall in Nepal increased after 5:00pm on Saturday.
In Patna, the Ganges swelled above its historic level on Saturday, according to India鈥檚 Central Water Commission data, as the river triggered flooding in scores of places along its course through east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
The Ichhamati River in India also broke historic water level record in four places.
Bangladesh faced two big floods in July and August in the south-eastern, north-eastern and eastern regions.
鈥楻ain stopped for the moment but another spell is likely from the first day of October,鈥� said meteorologist Shaheenul Islam.
Bangladesh鈥檚 highest rainfall of 183mm in the 24 hours until 6:00am on Saturday was recorded in Tetulia. Bangladesh Meteorological Department predicted a rise in the day temperature today.
