Heavy rain triggers flash flood fears in north, south areas

Brahmaputra, Padma continue to fall

With a spate of heavy rainfall and more rain likely in the next two to three days, both in upstream and locally, there are fears of flash flooding in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Feni, with the rise in the water level of the Surma-Kushiayara and Muhuri.
While the north-eastern rivers and Muhuri in the south-east and the Teesta in the north are poised to rise, with rain forecast in their upstream, memories of flooding from June-end to July and August have started haunting people there, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said yesterday.
Ripon Karmaker, an engineer at the FFWC, said the Kushiyara at Amalshid in Sylhet has risen by 262cm in the past 24 hours and was flowing 15cm above its danger level (DL). It was swelled by 192mm of rainfall till 6am yesterday. He said the Khowai in Balla, Habiganj, too, has started rising, leaving the river in danger of overflowing its banks.
Similarly, the Surma in Sylhet and Sunamganj was in spate, fed by heavy rain upstream and locally.
Both the Surma and Kushiyara carry the flows of the Barak river in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur before joining the Meghna. The two rivers have become swollen with water from the Barak after heavy rain in the Barak valley, where more rain is expected in the next 72 hours, Karmaker said. He was quoting a forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which also forecast rain in Sikkim, another north-eastern Indian state.
It leaves the Teesta to be swelled further going down to the northern Bangladesh districts of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, which went under flood waters of both the Teesta and Brahmaputra in June-July.
But the Brahmaputra, that takes the name of Jamuna in Bangladesh before joining the Ganges-Padma, has been falling.
Another south-eastern river prone to flash floods due to heavy rain, the Muhuri at Parshuram in Feni, has risen by 325cm and is flowing 65cm above its DL, FFWC data showed.
But Karmaker noted that these flashy rivers swell with the rain in their basins, but go down after flooding their banks for a while. He said down in the north-west, the Ganges-Padma was falling steadily.
The Met Office has forecast more rain in the next 72 hours, spurred by a convection in the north Bay of Bengal and coastal areas left behind by a low pressure.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast a normal spell of rain in September with the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna basins having normal flow of water after a two per cent less than normal rainfall in August.
There would be 1-2 seasonal low pressures in the Bay of Bengal, the long-range forecast by the Met Office for September said yesterday, after a meeting of experts.

Heavy rain triggers flash flood fears in north, south areas

Brahmaputra, Padma continue to fall

With a spate of heavy rainfall and more rain likely in the next two to three days, both in upstream and locally, there are fears of flash flooding in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Feni, with the rise in the water level of the Surma-Kushiayara and Muhuri. While the north-eastern rivers and Muhuri in the south-east and the Teesta in the north are poised to rise, with rain forecast in their upstream, memories of flooding from June-end to July and August have started haunting people there, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said yesterday. Ripon Karmaker, an engineer at the FFWC, said the Kushiyara at Amalshid in Sylhet has risen by 262cm in the past 24 hours and was flowing 15cm above its danger level (DL). It was swelled by 192mm of rainfall till 6am yesterday. He said the Khowai in Balla, Habiganj, too, has started rising, leaving the river in danger of overflowing its banks. Similarly, the Surma in Sylhet and Sunamganj was in spate, fed by heavy rain upstream and locally. Both the Surma and Kushiyara carry the flows of the Barak river in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur before joining the Meghna. The two rivers have become swollen with water from the Barak after heavy rain in the Barak valley, where more rain is expected in the next 72 hours, Karmaker said. He was quoting a forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which also forecast rain in Sikkim, another north-eastern Indian state. It leaves the Teesta to be swelled further going down to the northern Bangladesh districts of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, which went under flood waters of both the Teesta and Brahmaputra in June-July. But the Brahmaputra, that takes the name of Jamuna in Bangladesh before joining the Ganges-Padma, has been falling. Another south-eastern river prone to flash floods due to heavy rain, the Muhuri at Parshuram in Feni, has risen by 325cm and is flowing 65cm above its DL, FFWC data showed. But Karmaker noted that these flashy rivers swell with the rain in their basins, but go down after flooding their banks for a while. He said down in the north-west, the Ganges-Padma was falling steadily. The Met Office has forecast more rain in the next 72 hours, spurred by a convection in the north Bay of Bengal and coastal areas left behind by a low pressure. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast a normal spell of rain in September with the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna basins having normal flow of water after a two per cent less than normal rainfall in August. There would be 1-2 seasonal low pressures in the Bay of Bengal, the long-range forecast by the Met Office for September said yesterday, after a meeting of experts.