Downpour in Cherrapunji causes floods in Sylhet

Rivers in Sylhet are swelling consistently due to heavy downpour and onrush of upstream water. All 12 upazilas of Sylhet district, alongside the city corporation areas, have more or less been inundated. 

As of 9 am on Tuesday, water was flowing above the danger level at six points in the Surma, Kushiyara, Sari, and Sari-Goain rivers in the district.

Shah Mohammad Sajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist of Sylhet, said the rainfall was recorded at 44 millimeters in three hours from 6:00 am on Tuesday. 

“A total of 153 mm of rain was recorded in Sylhet over the past 24 hours until 6:00 am today, while the Cherrapunji area in India experienced 395 mm of rain during the same period,” he added.

Earlier, there was a flood in Sylhet on 29 May, when heavy rains and water from the upper stream inundated the region. The situation returned to normalcy after 8 June.  

According to the local administration, public representatives, and flood victims, nearly 600 villages and areas within the city and district were inundated on Monday.

The hardest-hit areas are Gowainghat and Companiganj upazilas, where roads have gone under water at different spots, snapping road communication. A vast swathe of crop fields and ponds have also been flooded, causing losses to farmers. 

According to the district administration, at least 69 unions were reported to be flooded until last night. The authorities have set up 538 shelters in total for the flood-victims, while some 68 have already been used.

The Sylhet office of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) measured water levels above the danger level at six points in the Surma, Kushiyara, Sari, and Sari-Goain rivers.  

Omar Sani Akon, assistant commissioner of the DC office, issued a notice around 11:30 pm on Monday, announcing a flood situation due to torrential rain in the district, alongside in Cherrapunji, Shillong, and Assam. 

He, however, said that the district administration is prepared to deal with the flood situation.