Khairul Alam from Rangpur: Unprecedented flooding has struck the Tista region due to continuous rainfall and hill water from India, affecting various areas in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari, and Gaibandha.
Some regions are experiencing riverbank erosion, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and seek refuge on roads and embankments with livestock and essential belongings.
There is a growing shortage of clean water and food.
As of Sunday evening, river levels slightly decreased, but in the morning, they were still above danger levels.
The Water Development Board reported that while water flow decreased upstream near the Tista Barrage, levels in the downstream area of Kaunia may rise further.
On Sunday afternoon, the Tista river was flowing 33 centimeters above the danger mark.
Although levels were slightly below the danger mark on Saturday evening, they surged past it by 11 PM.
Meteorologists noted that July typically experiences the heaviest rainfall, and this year has seen significantly more rain than usual, resulting in short- to medium-term flooding across various regions.
The excessive rainfall in August and September has led to prolonged flooding outside the monsoon season, raising significant concerns.
On the ground, it was observed that around 4,000 families in the char areas of Gangachara, Kaunia, and Pirgacha in Rangpur are trapped by rising waters, isolating them due to submerged rural roads.
In Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, over 60,000 people are now waterlogged.
The Tista river’s water level has disrupted train services between Lalmonirhat and Dhaka after flooding affected the railway near Tista Station. The agricultural lands, including aman paddy and vegetable fields, have been inundated.
In response to increased water pressure from the opening of the Gozaldoba Barrage in India, Bangladeshi authorities opened 44 gates of the Tista Barrage.
In the Mahishkocha Union of Lalmonirhat, water has breached into villages such as Chandimari, Bahadurpara, Araji Chalapak, and Gobordhan.
Local resident Bokkor reported that water has rendered homes uninhabitable, and aman fields have been submerged, causing significant losses to eggplant cultivation.
Eight educational institutions, including Gobordhan Haidaria Dual High School and several primary schools, have suspended activities due to flooding.
In Kurigram, rivers including the Dharla, Dudhkumari, Tista, and Brahmaputra have risen again due to heavy rain and hill water, marking the fourth phase of flooding in the district.
In Gaibandha’s Sundarganj, severe erosion of the Tista riverbank has commenced, endangering emerging aman crops and residential areas.
In the past two months, over 500 acres of farmland and more than a hundred houses in Kapasia, Haripur, Sripur, and Chandipur unions have been lost to the river.