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The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) says low-lying areas along rivers in the Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Netrokona districts are likely to flood as the water level rises due to heavy to very heavy rainfall.
There have also been reports of damage to crops in one Haor after a dam broke in Sunamganj’s Madhyanagar.
A control room was set up on Tuesday at the initiative of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) amid the risk of flooding.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief also says preparations for the floods will be made in coordination with the district administrators of the concerned districts.
The ministry's Additional Secretary (Budget and Audit, Disaster Forecasting, Response and Coordination Division) Nurun Akhtar has already said that allocations will be made to Sylhet and Mymensingh as per the needs of the district administrators.
She said, "We have also informed other district administrators that they can contact us whenever they need anything. Our units are on alert so that we can reach them immediately."
Tanvir Hossain, additional deputy commissioner (general) of Moulvibazar, said a meeting was held with the District Disaster Management Committee on Monday.
Instructions were given to all Upazila administrators (UNOs) and various officials and departments in the district.
Tanvir said, “I have received the information from the Water Development Board. We are collecting information on water levels and navigability.
“Work is under way to avoid damage to agriculture, Boro paddy and other related matters under the current circumstances. We are working to ensure that everyone does their duty at the field level.”
“Any news, especially regarding lightning or trees falling due to storms, is coming in and we are immediately resolving it. Monitoring activities are ongoing and the necessary people have been warned,” he added.
When asked how much paddy has been harvested, he said that there is concern that the paddy in the two Upazilas of Barlekha and Juri may be damaged. About 90 per cent of the paddy in the two Upazilas has been harvested so far.
What is Happening in Each District?
Netrokona Deputy Commissioner Khandaker Mushfiqur Rahman, citing the District Agriculture Office, said more than 62 per cent of the paddy in the Haor area of Netrokona has already been harvested. UNOs have been asked to hold a meeting of the disaster management committee and take steps to deal with floods and natural disasters.
Sylhet Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Saida Parveen said the flood preparation and rescue team is ready. The necessary activities will be carried out after a meeting of the district disaster management committee is held on Wednesday.
As of Monday, 75 per cent of the paddy in the Haor has been harvested. Approximately 50 per cent of the paddy inside and outside the Haor areas has been harvested, she said.
Sunamganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Matiur Rahman Khan spoke about holistic flood preparations, adding that the Water Development Board, UNOs, and union councils were making public announcements to raise awareness of the situation.
“We are doing this so the crops can be protected, and so that paddy that is more than 80 per cent ripe can be harvested very quickly.”
He said, “Rice harvesting is ongoing. However, due to the shortage of labourers and the water, harvesters cannot be brought to many Haors. Due to this, the speed is a little slow. But we are trying.”
He noted that on average, about 60 per cent of the paddy in the Haor areas of the district has been harvested.
According to him, on average, about 12 to 13 per cent of the paddy has been harvested outside the Haors.
Water Level Above Danger Level in Two Districts
According to information from the FFWC, the Manu River is flowing 110cm above the pre-monsoon danger level at the Moulvibazar point on Tuesday evening.
The Bhogai-Kangsa River in Netrokona district is flowing 28cm above the pre-monsoon danger level at the Jariajanjail point.
A control room has been set up to centrally monitor the flooding situation.
The control room is collecting and disseminating information and data from the field offices of the Water Development Board.
The mobile numbers of the control room are 01318234962, 01321139542, 01318234963, 01709654791. The email addresses are ffwcbwdb@gmail.com, ffwc05@yahoo.com
Executive Engineer Md Manzur Rahman, in charge of the control room, said on Tuesday night: “So far, we have received news that the water has crossed the danger level at two points. Since it cannot be measured at night, any increase will be announced in the morning bulletin.”
He said, “We issued a flood forecast on the 23rd (of April). From the 24th and 25th, alerts have also started being issued on TV. Now that the flooding has nearly become a reality, this control room has been set up.”
Heavy Rain and Suffering
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) says Bhola saw the most rainfall in the country in the 24 hours to 6:00 pm on Tuesday, recording 152mm.
A few other districts have also received heavy to very heavy rainfall during this period.
Feni recorded 151mm, Sylhet’s Sreemangal 146mm, Cumilla 103mm, Patuakhali’s Khepupara 96mm, Kishoreganj’s Nikli 95mm, Sylhet 92mm, Ambagan 91mm, and Patuakhali 89mm.
Other parts of the country also saw quite a bit of rain. Chattogram saw a downpour of 59mm in only three hours, which submerged different parts of the port city.
Temporary waterlogging has also been reported in Cumilla and Feni, causing suffering for residents, students, and working people.
Asked about the situation, Meteorologist Md Omar Faruk said on Tuesday night: “The rain is mainly due to the Nor’wester season, the western low-pressure system in West Bengal is strong, which is why the number of Nor’wester storms is high. It will remain a bit high until the 3rd-4th (May). There will be more afterwards, but the number will decrease.”
The BMD’s regular bulletin at 6:00 pm on Tuesday said over the next 24 hours, many places in the Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and some places in the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions may experience light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally winds and lightning.
Along with this, there may be moderate to heavy rain in some places in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions.
The day and night temperatures in the country may decrease slightly over the period
The BMD has also forecast Nor’wester storms with lightning in all eight divisions of the country, including Dhaka.
There may also be heavy rainfall in some parts of the country over the next four days. It issued a landslide warning in the Chattogram Division.
The Met Office has also issued two separate special warnings on Nor’wester storms and heavy rainfall.
The Kalboishakhi Warning Message said a Nor’wester storm accompanied by temporary west-northwesternly squalls of speeds 60-80kph are likely at places in the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions in the next 48 hours from 11:00 am on Tuesday.
The heavy rainfall warning states that heavy (44-88mm) to very heavy (more than 88mm) rainfall may occur in some places in all divisions of the country in the 96 hours from 11:00 am on Tuesday.
The heavy rainfall may cause temporary waterlogging in some parts of the country.
There is also a risk of landslides, especially in the hilly areas of the Chattogram Division, the warning said.
Meanwhile, there is a high air pressure difference in the North Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas. For this reason, the Meteorological Department has issued warning signal number three in four seaports of the country.
In a special warning issued by the BMD on Tuesday, the maritime ports at Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been asked to hoist cautionary signal No. 3 as a steep pressure gradient is lying over the north Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas.
Fishing boats and trawlers in the north Bay have been asked to come close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.