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Heavy rainfall and fresh upstream hill runoff have heightened fears of a worsening flood situation in Bangladesh’s Sunamganj district, with the Surma River flowing above the danger level at one monitoring station.
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the Surma River at the Chhatak point was flowing at 8.86 metres as of 9:00 am on Monday, 16 centimetres above the danger level.
Water levels at other monitoring stations remained below danger level but continued to rise. At Sunamganj point, the river stood at 7.35 metres, 45 centimetres below the danger mark. Water levels were recorded at 7.44 metres at Laurergarh, 61 centimetres below danger level, and 6.06 metres at Dirai, 49 centimetres below the threshold.
The district recorded heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, with Laurergarh receiving 140 mm and Sunamganj town 110 mm, contributing to the steady rise in river levels.
Fresh hill runoff entered residential areas in Charagaon of Tahirpur upazila on Sunday night, inundating homes and causing renewed hardship for local residents.
“We suddenly saw the water level rise during the night. Before we could react, floodwater had entered our yard. Moving household belongings to safety was extremely difficult,” said Charagaon resident Pintu Das.
In Sunamganj town, prolonged rainfall left roads waterlogged, disrupting daily movement.
“Water has accumulated on our road since morning after overnight rain. Even though we live within the municipality, we have to use this unpaved road. When it gets flooded, children and working people suffer the most,” said resident Rakib Uddin, urging authorities to improve drainage and repair the road.
BWDB Executive Engineer-2 Md Emdadul Haque said persistent upstream rainfall was maintaining pressure from hill runoff and warned that river levels could rise further over the next 24 hours if rain continues in upstream areas.
He said there is a risk of short-term flooding in low-lying riverside areas and added that the BWDB is closely monitoring the situation while coordinating with the local administration.