With recession of overflowing water from upper catchment, the flood situation continued to show an improving trend in the Brahmaputra basin during the last 24 hours ending 9:00am on Saturday.
Officials of the district administrations said nearly five lakh people of the low-lying areas in seven flood prone northern districts of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Bogura, Jamalpur and Sirajganj basin have been marooned.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said the major rivers were still flowing above their danger marks (DMs) at 10 points in Nilphamari, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Bogura and Sirajganj at 9:00 am on Saturday despite dropping of water levels.
Water levels of the Brahmaputra marked fall by 17 cm each at Noonkhawa and Chilmari while the Jamuna by 14 cm at Fulchhari, 15 cm at Bahadurabad and nine cm each at Sariakandi and Kazipur and 11cm at Sirajganj points during the last 24 hours.
The Brahmaputra was flowing 24 cm above the DMs at Noonkhawa and 29 cm at Chilmari and Jamuna 56 cm at Fulchhari, 59 cm at Bahadurabad, 51 cm at Sariakandi, 55 cm at Kazipur and 35 cm at Sirajganj points at 9:00am.
However, water levels of the Dharla and Teesta rose by 11 cm and 36 cm at Kurigram and Dalia points during the period and were flowing above their DMs by 60 cm and 18 cm respectively at 9 am.
The Ghaghot marked a fall by 4 cm during the last 24 hours at Gaibandha where the river was flowing above its DM by 27 cm at 9am today.
Executive Engineer of Teesta Barrage Project, BWDB M Rabiul Islam said flood situation alongside the Teesta is likely to improve in next 24 hours as the level of onrushing water from the upstream already started receding.
Executive Engineer of BWDB Mokhlesur Rahman for Gaibandha said all flood control embankments and structures are safe and riverbank protection works continuing at few places in the district.
BWDB’s Executive Engineer Ariful Islam for Kurigram said water levels of the Dharla might start receding in the next 24 hours and Brahmaputra continued receding to improve the flood situation.
Chief Engineer for Rangpur Zone of BWDB Jyoti Prosad Ghosh said the flood situation is likely to continue improving in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha and adjoining areas in the next 24 hours.
“There is no report of any vulnerability of flood control embankments and we are closely monitoring the situation and safety of flood control structures.” Ghosh added.
He said government has been continuing carrying out relief activities as the current deluge exposed thousands of people to miseries following inundation of vast low-lying areas in the affected districts in the basin, reports BSS.