Continuous heavy rain and hill run-off from upstream have again swollen the fast-flowing Teesta river, and the water is rising rapidly. According to the latest information, the Teesta is flowing above the danger level, leaving people along its banks fearing a flood for the fourth time in two months. The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) fears short-term flooding could hit low-lying areas along the river at any moment.

At 6pm on Monday, 13 July, the river began flowing 3 centimetres above the danger level at the Dalia point of the Teesta Barrage. The level rose at times during the night but never fell below the danger mark.

By 9am on Tuesday, 14 July, the water had stayed above the danger level for more than 15 hours in a row. According to the Dalia point readings, at 9am it was flowing 4 centimetres above the danger level.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said in a special bulletin that rivers in the northern Rangpur division could rise rapidly again over the next two days.

There is a strong chance that within the next 24 to 48 hours the Teesta will cross the danger level and cause short-term flooding in low-lying riverside areas of Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts.

Sunil Kumar, executive engineer of the BWDB in Lalmonirhat, said the Teesta had been flowing above the danger level at Dalia point since Monday evening. The water could rise further within 24 hours and cause short-term flooding. He said the Lalmonirhat BWDB was fully prepared to deal with river erosion and emergencies, and enough sandbags and geo-bags had been stockpiled to stop erosion wherever it appears.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.