The overall flood situation remained grim in the north, with thousands of people waiting to be rescued as flood water engulfed even shelters amidst the unabated swelling of major rivers.
In some places, the flood water reached the height of a fully grown man or even more, leaving infrastructure almost entirely submerged with only their roofs showing above the water.
Four more deaths from drowning were confirmed in the northern and northeastern districts on Friday, underscoring the precarious living conditions in the flood-affected areas.
The flooding is set to intensify over the next few days, forecasts indicate, inundating far more areas down to central Bangladesh, causing many more rivers to flow above their flood levels amidst torrential monsoon rains.
鈥業 rented a boat for Tk 200 a day to live in it,鈥� said Bahar Uddin, a resident of Bhimjhim char in Saghata Gaibandha, who had to leave his flood shelter on Thursday due to the rise in the water level of the Jamuna.
The Jamuna at Saghata was flowing 90cm above its danger mark at 9:00am on Friday following a 37cm rise in its water level from the day before.
Bahar is currently unemployed as his agricultural land is under water, and he will pay his boat rent once he resumes earning.
Authorities shut down scores of schools, including 173 in Kurigram and Gaibandha, as flooding intensified. The schools were supposed to be used as shelters.
The Rangpur divisional commissioner鈥檚 office said that about 1.70 lakh people had been affected by the flood in Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, and Nilphamari.
About 45,000 people are currently living in boats, according to the office of the divisional commissioner.
Abdur Rahman, a resident of Char Jatrapur, has been living in a boat with his five family members and four cows.
鈥楾he most difficult aspect of living on a boat is cooking and attending to the call of nature,鈥� said Rahman.
In the afternoon on Friday, a 24-year-old man, Dulal Miah, drowned while three other members of his family went missing after the boat they were using to relocate their house sank in the Jamuna River at Fulchhari, Gaibandha.
The Jamuna was flowing 87cm above the danger mark at Fulchhari at 9:00am on Friday.
The Brahmaputra swept away Rabeya Bewa, 54, along with his house in聽 Roumari of Kurigram on Friday.
鈥榃hat more can we do to help people during natural disasters than forecast risks and dangers,鈥� said Zakir Hossain, divisional commissioner, Rangpur.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Kurigram said that everyone could not afford a boat to live in.
Children and elderly people are particularly at risk.
The other life-threatening risk comes from a snake bite since the slithering animal is also looking for dry land like human beings.
The shortage of drinking water is acute, despite being surrounded by water all around.
The flood also swamped the ferry and river ghats, suspending movement through waterways along the Brahmaputra and the Meghna basin, including the suspension of the ferry service between Chilmari and Roumari.
In Kurigram alone, 2,300 hectares of cropland remained submerged in water.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Rangpur reported that 50 out of 72 unions in Kurigram districts were flood-affected.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Sylhet reported a death and the recovery of the body of a woman who had been missing since her boat capsized last week.
One of the deceased was identified as Sujan Das, 27, a resident of Shashkhai village in Habibpur, Shalla. He had gone missing after falling from a boat at about 7:30am on Friday.
The body of Josna Begum, 30, a resident of Ashrayan Prakalpa at Azampur area of Surma union, was found at about 8:00pm on Thursday.
Earlier on July 2, three people, including Josna鈥檚 one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Moyna and her neighbour Guljan, 70, went missing after a strong current swept away their boat in the Surma River.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that 18 unions were affected by floods in Jamalpur鈥檚 Islampur, Dewanganj, and Madarganj upazilas, affecting 50,000 people.
The BSS also reported that crops on 6,908 hectares remained completely submerged in flood water in Jamalpur.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre reported at 9:00am on Friday that eight rivers were flowing above their flood levels at 21 points.
The Kushiara dropped by only 14cm at Amalshid and was still flowing 140cm above the danger mark. The Jamuna was flowing above its danger marks at eight points.
The FFWC, in its bulletin issued in the afternoon, warned that the flood situation along Brahmaputra and Jamuna, particularly in Kurigram, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Bogura, Tangail, and Sirajganj districts, might deteriorate in the next 24 hours.
In the next 48 hours, the FFWC said, the Padma River might flow above its warning level at Goalundo point.
In the next 24 hours, the Teesta, Dharla, Ghagot, and Dudhkumar rivers in the northern region might rapidly rise at times, triggering fresh flooding, the FFWC said.
In the next 48 hours, the Jamuneswari, Karatoa, Bangali, Upper Karotoa, Punarbhaba, Tangon, Ichamoti-Jamuna, Atrai, Mohananda, and Little-Jamuna rivers in the northern and northwestern regions might also rapidly rise at times.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department predicted widespread rainfall all across Bangladesh today and tomorrow.
On Friday, Bangladesh鈥檚 highest rainfall of 279mm was recorded in Khepupara.