United News of Bangladesh

Rising water levels in major rivers in the northern region have sparked fears of early flooding, as heavy rainfall continues to batter several districts. Officials of the Water Development Board (WDB) said the water levels of the Teesta, Dharla and Brahmaputra rivers have been increasing due to persistent rain throughout April. According to the Rangpur Meteorological Office, a total of 438 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in eight northern districts in the last 24 hours, an unusually high amount for this time of the year. Although the Teesta River is still flowing below the danger level at the Dalia point, its water level has risen steadily, increasing by around 40 centimetres over the past three days. Similar trends have also been observed in the Dharla and Brahmaputra rivers. WDB officials warned that continued rainfall could trigger early flooding, posing risks to crops in low-lying char areas. Farmers in Rangpur’s Gangachara and Kaunia upazilas said they cultivated various crops like chilies, onions, garlic, almonds, sweet pumpkins, rice and wheat on the sandbanks of the Teesta every year after the water recedes in winter. But sudden rise in Teesta water in the Bengali month of Baishakh has already begun damaging standing crops, they said. Many have started harvesting unripe paddy to avoid further losses. Meteorologist Mostafizur Rahman said 131 millimetres of rain was recorded in Rangpur between in 24 hours till 9am on Monday, adding that the rainfall may continue for another four days. “Such rainfall is unusual for April,” he said. Ahsan Habib, Superintendent Engineer of the Rangpur region of the WDB, said the continued rainfall throughout the month has led to rising river levels, increasing the risk of early floods across the division. Meanwhile, storms accompanying the rainfall also caused damage to trees and crops in several areas on Monday night.