A man rows a boat on a flooded street in Bandarban Bus Station area in the pouring rain yesterday. The Sangu burst its bank near the town inundating several neighbourhoods.
© Sanjoy Kumar BaruaA man rows a boat on a flooded street in Bandarban Bus Station area in the pouring rain yesterday. The Sangu burst its bank near the town inundating several neighbourhoods.
Situation likely to worsen; Teesta barrage under threat; 3 kids drown in Chattogram, Cox's Bazar

Flood situation has deteriorated in 10 districts in the north, north-east and hill regions amid continued downpour in the country as well as neighbouring India.

At least three children drowned yesterday including two Rohingya boys in Cox's Bazar.

Thousands of people remain stranded in the flood affected districts, as road communications have been snapped by flood water.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the worst was yet to come as rivers would swell even further, inundating new areas.


In Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha, the authorities started using loudspeakers late last night to order thousands of villagers near the Teesta barrage to evacuate immediately.

Officials said the water has risen 86cm over the safe level.


"Rescue teams of firefighters, police, and volunteers have been alerted. They are ready," Upazila Nirbahi Officer Samiul Amin told reporters.

In a Ukhia refugee camp, police found the bodies of Anwar Sadque, 7, and his younger brother Anowar Faisal, 6, on Thursday night after they were washed away in a flash flood.

In Chattogram's Fatikchhari, Imam Hossain, 12, drowned in flood water yesterday morning.

Around two lakh people of 30 villages in Fatikchhari have been suffering due to the flash floods.

The Sangu bursts its banks and inundates homes and business in Bandarban town.
© Sanjoy Kumar BaruaThe Sangu bursts its banks and inundates homes and business in Bandarban town.
Other affected districts are Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Bogura, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Bandarban, and Nilphamari.

"The met office has forecast heavy rains over the next few days. It could worsen the flood situation," State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman said.

The authorities have flagged 628 points in different rivers as risky. Of them, 26 were marked very risky.

In Lalmonirhat, new areas were flooded yesterday. Around 50,000 people in 60 villages have been stranded as the Teesta and Dharla rivers swelled.

Mozahar Ali, 56, a resident of Gobordhan area of near the Teesta in Aditmari, said villagers have been facing an acute shortage of drinking water as tube-wells in the area have gone under water.

"We have been surviving on chira, muri, sugar, bread and biscuits as cooking is impossible in flooded stoves and kitchens.

In Kurigram, people in almost 250 char areas in Sadar, Ulipur, Chilmari, Rowmari and Rajibpur upazilas have been severely affected.

Flood water in Sunamganj and Sylhet have risen as the Surma and Kushiyara rivers are overflowing.

In Sunamganj, 13,100 families of five upazilas are seriously affected, officials said.

In Sylhet, water level in the Sari-Gowain river began to fall yesterday, giving hope to thousands of affected people.

In Netrakona's Kalmakanda upazila, vast new areas were flooded yesterday, officials said.

Over 10,000 families have been seriously affected while farmed fish from 5,000 ponds were washed away.

In Bandarban, around 1,000 families have been stranded as road communication to the areas remain snapped. Chattogram-Bandarban and Bandarban -Rangamati highways have been blocked by floodwater for three days.

In Rangamati, about 20 villages of Baghaichari have been submerged.

Flash flood has damaged crops on around 100 hectares in the upazila.

Officials said the flooding was caused mostly by heavy downpour.