The flood situation in some low-lying areas of Netrakona district and Sylhet, Sunamganj districts in the northeastern part of the country may remain unchanged in 24 hours commencing 9 am on Thursday (June 20, 2024). The flood situation in Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts along the low-lying areas of Manu-Khwai river may improve, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). Except Surma, major rivers in the North-eastern region of the country are in rising trendwhich may continue in the next 24 hours. Flood leaves over 8 lakh people inundated in Sylhet The Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers are in rising trend and may continuously rise for the next72 hours with a chance of reaching the Warning Level at some points. Besides, the Padma river is in rising trend, which may continue in next 48 hours, it said.The water level of Dudhkumar, Teesta and Dharla rivers in the northern part of the country may rise and flashflood may hit some low-lying areas of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur districts. River Teesta may cross danger level at Dalia Point in next 24 hours for a short period of time. According to the information from meteorological organizations, medium to heavy rainfall is expected over the northern and adjoining upstream region and heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over the north-eastern, northern and adjoining upstream parts of the country in 24 to 48 hours, it added. Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj; several thousand marooned

Continuous heavy rainfall over the past three days has worsened the flood situation in Sylhet for the second time in just 20 days. Nearly seven lakh people in the Sylhet metropolitan area and throughout the district are now stranded. In the metropolitan area alone, 50,000 people across 21 wards have been affected by flooding, according to Sylhet district administration sources. Sylhet experienced the first phase of flooding on May 27, affecting approximately seven lakh people across all upazilas. The water had not fully receded when heavy rainfall and hill torrents hit again on June 15, worsening the situation by Eid day (June 17). Heavy rainfall on Eid-ul-Azha morning was briefly followed by a recession, but rain resumed from Tuesday dawn, causing significant overflows in all rivers and streams in Sylhet. On Eid day, water levels were above danger points at two river locations. By Tuesday morning, water levels at four rivers were above danger points at six locations. Sylhet mayor holds emergency meeting to address severe flooding This morning, water was flowing above danger levels at six points of three rivers.   The Water Development Board in Sylhet reported that by 9 am today, the Surma River at Kanaighat point was 91 cm above danger levels. At another point in Sylhet, it was 31 cm above the danger level. The Kushiyara River was 46 cm above danger level at Amalshid, 92 cm above at Fenchuganj and 12 cm above at Sherpur point.  According to the district administration, 675,937 people in 13 upazilas, including Sylhet metropolitan area, have been stranded till midnight. Of them, 50,000 people of 21 wards out of 42 in Sylhet metropolitan area are stranded.  A total of 627 shelter centres have been opened in the district. Of these, 80 are in the metropolitan areas. A total of 17,285 people have taken shelter in these centres. However, most people are not willing to leave their homes and go to shelters.  A total of 1,323 villages in 13 upazilas of the district have been inundated. The worst affected are: Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Golapganj, Companiganj, Kanaighat, Zakiganj, Biswanath and Osmaninagar upazilas. Sylhet grapples with fresh bout of flooding, dampening Eid celebrations across division Low-lying areas of the city are particularly hard-hit, with Shahjalal suburb completely submerged and water reaching neck level in many homes. Other severely affected areas include Jatrapur, Mendibagh, Shibganj, Raingar, Sobhanighat, Kalighat, Kamalgarh, Machimpur, Taltala, Jamtola, Kajirbazar, Madina Market, Akhaliya, and Mezortil. Several important roads in the city are also flooded. From 6 am Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday, the Sylhet Meteorological Office recorded 100 mm of rainfall and 55 mm from 6 am to 9 am today. Moreover, the Met office forecasted continuous heavy rainfall for the next three days. The district administration is actively working to rescue stranded individuals and has set up control rooms at the district collector's office and upazila executive offices to monitor the flood situation. Dedicated officers have been appointed in each upazila, and medical teams have been formed at union levels to provide health services to flood victims. If the heavy rainfall persists, the flood situation in Sylhet is expected to deteriorate further. Meanwhile, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibbur Rahman, accompanied by the ministry’s officials, saw the flood-hit areas from a helicopter in the morning. He is scheduled to leave Sylhet for Dhaka by this afternoon.  Water levels of Surma, Kushiyara rivers in Sylhet again above danger level

Low-lying areas of different parts of Sylhet district have been inundated due to onrush of hill water and swelling of rivers caused by torrential rains for the last three days.The water levels in the Kushiara and the Surma Rivers are close to the danger level and may cross it if water levels rise further, said Executive Engineer of Sylhet Water Development Board Ashif Ahmed. According to the local weather observatory centre, the rains may continue for 15 more days and if rains and onrush of water from upstream continue for a few more days moderate flood may hit the region this week. Cyclone Sitrang: Heavy rains continue to batter Bangladesh amid flood warning across coastal regionDeputy Commissioner Mojibur Rahman, said already the local administration has taken all necessary measures after holding an emergency meeting on Thursday and the authorities concerned have been asked to keep all shelter centres prepared.Water started to enter many low-lying areas and haor areas due to the rise in water levels of many rivers. Flash flood likely in south-eastern region: FFWCBesides, Surma River was flowing 12.68 cm against the danger level of 12.65 cm at Kanaighat point while it was flowing 9.38 cm against 10.8 cm danger level at Surma point.The local weather observatory centre recorded 135.4 mm of rainfall from 6 am Thursday till 6 am Friday while 271 mm rains were recorded from 6 am Wednesday till 6 am Thursday.Shah Mohammad Sajeebhossain, assistant meteorologist, said downpour is likely in the district in the next 48 hours. He also asked all to remain alert as onrush of hill water may flood the area during this period. Heavy rains, upstream water flood 4 villages in FeniLast year, the residents of Sylhet district experienced a devastating flood as 70 percent of the district went under floodwater while 10,000 dwelling houses were damaged, causing immense sufferings to thousands of people.

People in several flood-affected areas of Kurigram district are crying for relief as authorities scramble to help over two lakh stranded survivors even a week after the natural disaster. The Brahmaputra river is flowing 37 cm above the danger mark at Chilmari point while the Dharla river is flowing 20 cm above the danger mark at Setu point. Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the flood situation in the district may improve in the next few days. Shahidul Islam, district education officer, said the educational activities of 65,000 students have been hampered due to the closure of 294 government primary schools in the district. Besides, 23 secondary schools, seven madrashas and a college are also shut due to the floods.

The overall flood situation in Sylhet deteriorated further on Tuesday due to the swelling of the Kushiara river caused by incessant showers over the last three days, rendering thousand of people homeless. According to the Water Development Board, the Kushiara was flowing 186cm above the danger level at Amalshid point, 67cm above the danger level at Sheula point, and 8cm above the red mark at Fenchuganj point. Besides, the Surma river was flowing above the danger mark at all points. The flood situation in six upazilas of the district -- Jakiganj, Balaganj, Beanibazar, Osmaninagar, Golapganj and Fenchuganj -- has also turned grim due to the swelling of the Kushiara. Read: Flood situation worsens in Kurigram, over 2 lakh affected In fact, 60 percent area of Fenchuganj upazila has been flooded while the road link from Sadar upazila to Beanibazar upazila of the district remained snapped. Balaganj-Khasrupur and Fenchuganj-Balaganj roads are also under water, officials said. Many new areas of the six upazilas have also been flooded due to the rise in the water level of the Kushiara river. <iframe width="1360" height="657" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_nPYCplXRR0" title="সুনামগঞ্জের বন্যা পরিস্থিতি নিয়ে যা বললেন জেলা প্রশাসক | UNB" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Thousands of people have been hit by the floods, while shortage of food and drinking water has mounted the woes of the victims. The victims alleged that they were yet to get relief materials from the government. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Sylhet city, Biswanath upazila and Kanaighat upazila of the district remained the same with rains subsiding over the last couple of days. Read: Govt hopes FY2023 will be final year of Covid pandemic: Document Besides, the flood situation in Companiganj, Goainghat and Jointapur upazilas of the district has slightly improved with water levels in major rivers -- the Dhalai, the Pian, the Sari and the Lova -- subsiding. Over 90 percent areas of the three upazilas have been flooded. The Army, the Navy, the Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the local police have been pressed into action to evacuate the flood victims of the district.

With the devastating flood in the country's northern and north-east still threatening millions of lives and livelihoods, Grameenphone customers, stuck in the affected areas of Sylhet can now avail of 10 minutes of free talk-time. The telecom operator already disbursed 10-minute free talk-time with three days validity to all its customers in the flood-affected areas in Sylhet. During these challenging times, the need for immediate connectivity is paramount but customers face difficulty recharging due to the flood and incessant downpour. Read Hans Martin new Grameenphone chief corporate affairs officer "It is our moral responsibility to assist those who are stranded and stand by the nation during these times of dire need. We understand our customers' urgent connectivity needs to reach out for any assistance. We are closely monitoring the situation on the field and will remain vigilant going forward to provide connectivity support," said Mohammad Sajjad Hasib, chief marketing officer of Grameenphone. The flood condition has now been persisting for the past four to five days, with at least 40 lakh people stranded and stuck helpless. Mobile network and internet connectivity services also had to be compromised in the region due to water logging and electricity failure. Also read: Grameenphone observes Green Week 2022 However, in collaboration with the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Bangladesh Army and other stakeholders, Grameenphone is working continuously to overcome the crisis and restore mobile services in the flood-affected region in the earliest alongside exploring alternative feasible solutions to enable the nation to fight the calamity.

Residents of Sylhet city have been suffering since Thursday as all major areas of the city, including houses, shops, and hospitals, went under water.  The low-lying areas of the city were submerged first. People were seen wading through the knee-to-waist deep water. People in the city were seen making concrete walls with bricks and cement at the entrances of their houses as makeshift dams to protect them from flood water Saturday. Read: Flood situation turns grim: Power supply to Sylhet, Sunamganj suspended Water also entered Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, causing immense suffering to the patients.   Local administrations opened several shelters, but they quickly became overcrowded. The inmates of the shelter homes now desperately need food, pure drinking water, and fodder.  The flood situation in Sylhet started turning into a terrible disaster Thursday afternoon as almost all the upazilas and municipal areas went under water. Electricity was cut off in the district on Saturday, although later it was restored partially in the city.

The Power Development Board (PDB) in Sylhet has alerted the customers about safety of lives and property in the flood-hit areas. Shams-e Arefin, executive engineer of the PDB Sales and Distribution Division-2, on Thursday said that the flash floods inundated Sobhanighat, Mendibagh, Muradpur and surrounding areas. Also read: Worsening floods threaten power supply in Sylhet: officials For the safety of the lives and property of the power consumers, it has been warned not to touch electric wires, poles or electric components in the flood water. He also requested people to inform PDB Sales and Distribution Division-2 by calling 01625038784 and 02996633173 numbers. It is very important that everyone plays a responsible role to avoid any accident during the flood, he added. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sylhet, Sunamganj, thousands marooned