Rains trigger flooding in north Dwellings, crop fields submerged, swelling rivers cause erosion [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Rains trigger flooding in north Dwellings, crop fields submerged, swelling rivers cause erosion

Local June 14, 2015

With rain-fed rivers bursting their banks, flooding has worsened submerging hundreds of dwellings and crop fields, eroding river banks and dams, washing away ponds and disrupting communications in different northern and central districts over the last couple of days.
Onrush of water from upstream has aggravated the situation.
People suffered extremely waiting for hours on roads, trains and ferries as rains disrupted communications in different districts on Saturday.
With Jamuna rising by 30cm, about 200-metre stretch of the Brahmaputra river embankment (BRE) of the BWDB in Balighughri area under Sirajganj sadar upazila had further breached on Saturday morning.
The WDB continued dumping sand bags to check erosion, but with little success so far, said the WDB engineers. Besides, vast areas under Chouhali upazila of the district had been eroded.
In Balighughri area the WDB men were struggling to check the erosion caused by strong currents in Jamuna. They were also taking preparations to make an alternative dam beside the affected one.
About 400 metres of the dam had been eroded, 200 metres on Saturday, AKM Fazlul Haque, section officer of the local WDB, told New Age.
Chouhali upazila nirbahi officer Md Rezaul Bari alleged that the WDB had not taken any effective steps to check the erosion although a vast area of sadar was under threat.
However, Md. Hassan Imam, the local WDB executive engineer, claimed that they were trying to build alternative dams to save the area.
New Age Tangail correspondent reported that rains had triggered about 20km tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway from Mirzapur’s Gorai area to Gazipur’s Chandra on Saturday.
Journey of the Teesta Express on Mymensingh-Dewanganj route remained halted for hours on Saturday as the track went under rainwater.
Mohammad Arifuzzaman, divisional railway manager for Dhaka, told New Age the train was stopped near Mymensingh railway station just after it had started its journey towards Dewanganj at around 12:00pm.
The track turned risky due to overflow of water and the train finally left the station after about an hour, he said.
Our correspondent in Kurigram reported that most of the rural roads had been submerged by heavy rainfall and onrush of water from upstream that swelled all the 16 rivers flowing through the district.
Some 100 villages and small chars in the Teesta-Dharla-Dudhkumar-Brahmaputra river system have been inundated, inflicting sufferings on the villagers.
Kurigram WBD executive engineer Mahfuzur Rahman said the water level of the Brahmaputra, the Teesta and the Dudhkumar increased.
About 3,000 hectares of crop fields and 300 ponds were washed away, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
In Bogra, at least 15 villages of Sariakandi and Dhunot upazilas have been submerged following the collapse of an under-construction dam at Godakhali. The Jamuna was flowing 4cm above its danger level in the district.
New Age Munshiganj correspondent reported that about 400 vehicles were seen waiting all day on both sides of Shimulia-Kawrakandi ferry route due to disruption of ferry movement.
Shimulia ghat manager Abdul Alim said there were also 200 vehicles waiting at Kawrakandi terminal.
Nearly 500 houses in 10 unions in Sundarganj, Fulchhari and Sadar upazilas under Gaibandha were inundated by flooding due to surging water in the Teesta and Jamuna, according to private news agency United News of Bangladesh.
Jute, rice and vegetable fields in the three upazilas were also submerged.
In Nilphamari, 600 feet stretch of an under-construction dam collapsed at Suparitari Satakhata in Dimla upazila due to rise in the water level of Teesta river. Twenty-five villages under Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas were flooded.