Teesta river's water level on Saturday surged 41cm above the danger mark in Kurigram district, while water levels of Brahmaputra, Dudhkumar, and Dharla rivers are also on the rise.
The escalating water levels have instilled fears of potential flooding among the residents living along the riverbanks.
Kurigram Water Development Board has forecast short-term flooding.
According to the district’s Water Development Board, Brahmaputra river's water level is currently 72cm below the danger mark at the Nunkhawa point, 58cm below the limit at the Chilmari point, and Dharla river's water level is 97cm below the danger limit at the Kurigram Sadar point.
However, at Kaunia Point, Teesta river's water is surging 41cm above the danger level.
Low-lying areas including Begumganj, Nayarhat, and Saheber Alga in the Ulipur upazila of the district have already been inundated due to the increased water levels.
Irrespective of whether the water level of Teesta river rises or decreases, erosion stays persistent and the residents of the riverside areas run from rising waters all year round.
Md Noor Alam, a resident of the Goraipia area near Teesta river, expressed his concerns about the rising water levels over the past few days, particularly for the paddy fields.
“Whether the water of the Teesta river rises or recedes, river erosion persists, and the year-round struggles of the Teesta Par community go unnoticed,” he lamented.
Surman Ali from Khitab Khan village echoed the same and expressed distress over the continuous rain and rising water levels.
“The incessant rainfall coupled with the rising Teesta water has submerged our lives again, along with our cattles,” he said.
Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of the Water Development Board, attributed the rising river water to heavy rainfall in India’s Assam and Arunachal.
He said that the onrush of hill water and heavy rainfall in the region have caused the Teesta river's water level to surpass the danger level. He also said that Brahmaputra river's water might reach the danger mark in the coming days.
While the forecast predicts short-term floods in certain areas of the district, including some unions of Ulipur and Chilmari upazilas, Mamun said that despite the water crossing danger levels, a major flood event is not likely to occur.
Kurigram’s Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saidul Arif said that comprehensive preparations have been undertaken to manage potential flood situations. All necessary arrangements, including food aid, rescue boats, and shelters, have been organized to ensure residents’ safety, he added.
As of 4pm on Friday, the Teesta Barrage at Dalia Point, situated in Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat, the largest irrigation project in the country, reported a water flow of 52.26 meters. This reading stands 11cm above the normal boundary line of 52.15 meters.
On August 14, the water levels had crossed the threshold but receded a day later.
In a bid to manage the water flow, all sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage have been opened.
The escalation began overnight Thursday, with the water at Dalia Point reaching the danger mark by 9am on Friday. The rise was gradual, culminating in waters flowing 3cm above the danger line by noon.
Officials in charge of the barrage said that the heightened water flow at Dalia Point is a result of the combined factors of heavy rainfall, onrush of hill water and the increased flow of Teesta water from India's Ghazaldoba.
On the left bank of the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat district, the low-lying areas have borne the brunt of the rising waters, causing substantial flooding. Croplands situated in these lower regions have been inundated, and families are contending with the encroaching water, a number that's steadily on the rise.
Communication across the char areas has already been severed, rendering many areas inaccessible.
Azizul Islam from the Char Govardhan area reported a night-long increase in Teesta's water levels, that submerged lands along the riverbanks, roads, and ponds.
Residents must now navigate through this watery expanse by boat to move from one house to another. Trapped amidst the rising waters, hundreds of families in low-lying regions find themselves submerged.
These communities are perpetually under the shadow of monsoon-induced floods.
With families, children, the elderly, and livestock, the affected residents along the riverside are grappling with the dire implications of this crisis.
Asfa Ud Daula, the executive engineer of Teesta Barrage Dalia Branch at the Water Development Board, attributed the elevated water levels to both heavy rains and conditions.
Measures have been implemented to manage the water flow, including the opening of all water closets, he said.
