Flash flood risk in Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar as rains intensify

Bangla Press Desk:   Heavy to very heavy rainfall could trigger flash floods in the low-lying areas of Sylhet, Habiganj, and Moulvibazar districts starting Thursday, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has warned.

The state-run agency issued a three-day alert on Monday, attributing the potential inundation to upstream runoff and intensifying seasonal rains.

"We have issued a warning for the next three days," Mostafa Kamal Jihan, assistant engineer at the FFWC, told bdnews24.com.

"This is primarily a runoff-related flood. The situation is expected to improve once the rainfall subsides."

According to the FFWC’s bulletin, the Haor basin in the northeast and its upstream regions recorded moderate to heavy rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to 9am on Monday.

Citing data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and global weather agencies, the bulletin predicted heavy to very heavy precipitation across the northeastern Haor basin over the next 72 hours.

As a result, water levels in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers in Sylhet and Sunamganj, as well as the Manu and Khowai rivers in Moulvibazar and Habiganj, are expected to rise steadily, according to the FFWC.

The FFWC warned that by the third day, the water levels of the Surma, Kushiyara, Khowai, and Juri rivers, along with their major tributaries, might surge rapidly and flow above the pre-monsoon danger levels.

This spike is likely to flood riverbank areas in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj.

While the Surma-Kushiyara and Dhanu-Baulai rivers saw a slight decline in water levels over the past 24 hours, the Bhugai-Kangsha river has been rising, though all currently remain below danger marks.

The forecast suggests that the Dhanu-Baulai and Bhugai-Kangsha rivers will also continue to rise over the next three days.

By Thursday, water levels in the Bhugai-Kangsha and its tributaries in Netrokona and Kishoreganj may reach the "warning limit", further threatening the region's low-lying plains.