Flood situation: Water level above danger mark in Sylhet rivers
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649,378 affected by the second and third phases of the floods
Water is flowing above the danger level at six points of the Surma and Kushiara rivers, causing the flood situation to worsen in the lower parts of Sylhet for the third time.
While some upazilas have seen improvements, others have been flooded again. Many people who had left the shelters to return home are now returning to the shelters.
So far, 649,378 people have been affected by the second and third phases of the floods in Sylhet.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) website, Cherrapunji received 40mm of rain in the last 24 hours (from Tuesday 9am to Wednesday 9am). The previous day, 141mm of rain fell, which increased water levels in Sylhet through various rivers.
The Meteorological Department in Sylhet reported 25mm of rain in the last 24 hours (from Tuesday 6am to Wednesday 6am), with no rain from 6am to 3pm on Wednesday. The previous day saw 294mm of rain. Currently, the sky over Sylhet is clear with the sun shining.
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), water is flowing above the danger level at four points of the Kushiara River and two points of the Surma River in Sylhet. As of 3pm on Wednesday, water levels at the danger points are 81cm at Kanaighat point of the Surma River, 1cm at Sylhet point, 140cm at Amalshid point of the Kushiara River, 43cm at Sheola point, 99cm at Fenchuganj point, and 19cm at Sherpur point. While water levels in the Surma River started to decrease since morning, the Kushiara River continues to rise.
The second phase of floods started in Sylhet on June 17, submerging many houses in 13 upazilas. People sought refuge in shelters, but as the situation improved, they began returning home.
However, before the situation could fully improve, continuous heavy rains and landslides caused the flood situation to worsen again, submerging the lower areas of Gowainghat, Companiganj, Jaintapur, and Kanaighat upazilas.
Although the flood situation in these upazilas is improving, the embankment of the Kushiara River in Jakiganj broke on Tuesday night, flooding seven unions of the upazila and forcing people to return to shelters.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Sylhet district administration reported that 649,378 people from 1,160 villages across 91 unions in 13 upazilas have been affected by the floods. Currently, 8,828 people remain in shelters.
BWDB Sylhet Executive Engineer Deepak Ranjan Das said that Cherrapunji received 40mm of rain in the last 24 hours. The flood situation is improving somewhat, and if the rainfall decreases, the rising water levels in the rivers will also decrease. However, there is a possibility of moderate rainfall for the next 3-4 days.
Jakiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Afsana Taslim said: “Several embankments of the Kushiara River broke in the middle of the night, flooding the lower areas of seven unions in the upazila. Twelve more people arrived at the shelters today (Wednesday), adding to the 109 people already there. The upazila administration continues to support them.”