Major northern rivers falling

After a spell of heavy rain upstream, major northern rivers, such as the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Surma-Kushiyara, are falling, after showing signs of rising and threatening their flood plains, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said yesterday. The Brahmaputra has started falling at the place where it enters Bangladesh in northern Kurigram and is likely to continue falling further in the next 48 hours.

Downstream, where it takes the name Jamuna, it was flowing 11cm and 13cm above its danger level (DL) at Kazipur and Serajganj respectively. But forecasts says it would become steady in the next 24 hours and drop without posing any threat to areas downstream, as it did in July and August following heavy rain in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in north-eastern India.

With further heavy rainfall unlikely now, the rivers are not expected to pose any further flood threat, the FFWC's executive engineer, Sazzad Hossain, told The Independent yesterday.

 Of the other rivers swelled by heavy rain upstream in India’s Manipur state, the Surma was flowing above its danger level (DL) a few days ago, but is poised to become steady in the next 24 hours and fall further.

But its twin, the Kushiyara, carrying the flows of the Barak river from the Barak valley in Manipur, was flowing 22cm above its DL and could rise in the next 24 hours and start falling with the end of heavy rainfall in the Barak valley, the FFWC official said, quoting Indian reports.

Another river, the Khowai, at Ballah in Habiganj, also swelled by heavy rainfall across the hills in the Indian state of Tripura, was flowing 65 cm above its DL, despite falling 35cm yesterday with the rainfall stopping upstream.

Major northern rivers falling

After a spell of heavy rain upstream, major northern rivers, such as the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Surma-Kushiyara, are falling, after showing signs of rising and threatening their flood plains, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said yesterday. The Brahmaputra has started falling at the place where it enters Bangladesh in northern Kurigram and is likely to continue falling further in the next 48 hours. Downstream, where it takes the name Jamuna, it was flowing 11cm and 13cm above its danger level (DL) at Kazipur and Serajganj respectively. But forecasts says it would become steady in the next 24 hours and drop without posing any threat to areas downstream, as it did in July and August following heavy rain in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in north-eastern India. With further heavy rainfall unlikely now, the rivers are not expected to pose any further flood threat, the FFWCs executive engineer, Sazzad Hossain, told The Independent yesterday. Of the other rivers swelled by heavy rain upstream in Indias Manipur state, the Surma was flowing above its danger level (DL) a few days ago, but is poised to become steady in the next 24 hours and fall further. But its twin, the Kushiyara, carrying the flows of the Barak river from the Barak valley in Manipur, was flowing 22cm above its DL and could rise in the next 24 hours and start falling with the end of heavy rainfall in the Barak valley, the FFWC official said, quoting Indian reports. Another river, the Khowai, at Ballah in Habiganj, also swelled by heavy rainfall across the hills in the Indian state of Tripura, was flowing 65 cm above its DL, despite falling 35cm yesterday with the rainfall stopping upstream.