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Senior correspondent
Dhaka: Fresh flooding may occur in seven districts of Bangladesh within the next 24 to 72 hours due to heavy rainfall, according to the government’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). River levels in several parts of the country are expected to reach warning or danger levels, potentially inundating low-lying areas along major rivers.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the FFWC said that although water levels in the Teesta, Dharla, and Dudhkumar rivers in the Rangpur Division remained stable over the past 24 hours, they are expected to rise rapidly over the next three days. Within the next 24 to 48 hours, water at some monitoring points may exceed the danger level. As a result, low-lying riverbank areas in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, and Kurigram districts could experience short-term flooding.
The statement also highlighted conditions in other parts of the country. Water levels in the Surma and Kushiyara rivers in the northeast have increased over the past 24 hours and are expected to continue rising over the next three days. Within the next 72 hours, water at some points on these rivers may flow above the danger level, raising the risk of short-term flooding in low-lying areas of Sylhet and Sunamganj, or causing the existing flood situation to remain unchanged.
FFWC officials also reported that water levels in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganges-Padma river systems have risen over the past 24 hours and are likely to continue increasing over the next five days. Between July 20 and July 22, water levels at some points in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Sirajganj, and Tangail districts may reach warning levels, potentially flooding adjacent low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, higher-than-normal tidal conditions have been observed in several coastal rivers, including the Kirtankhola, Lower Meghna, Pashur, Ichamati, Karnaphuli, Little Feni, and Noakhali Canal, affecting parts of the Barishal, Khulna, and Chattogram divisions. The FFWC said these elevated tides are expected to persist for at least another day.