Heavy rainfall from depression in Bay causes flooding

Many districts in Bangladesh have been experiencing heavy rainfall over the past few days resulting in landslides and floods.

Triggered by a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal and active monsoon weather in the country, the rainfall and floods caused immense sufferings to residents in these districts as many of them got stranded with floodwaters while many others lost their crops and fishes.

Thousands of people got stranded in floodwater caused by the torrential rainfall triggered by a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal and active monsoon weather in the country. Crops, livestocks and fishes have been damaged .

Chattogram city under rainwater

A two-day-long heavy rainfall left the Chattogram city under water on Thursday causing immense sufferings for the city dwellers.

The Met Office forecast the heavy rainfall would continue in the next 24 hours that might cause landslides in some hilly regions of the district.

To avert any possible causality, the district administration opened four shelters to evacuate people from areas at high risks of landslides.

Ujjal Kanti Das, an official of the Patenga weather office told The Business Standard, "Total 140.2mm rainfall was recorded in 24 hours till Thursday at 6.00pm and it was 129.2mm in the previous 24 hours."

"Heavy downpour would continue in the next two days that might cause landslides in hilly areas," he said adding that a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal and the active Monsoon weather over Bangladesh are the reasons behind this heavy rainfall.

Mohammad Mominur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram, said, "We have sheltered many people after evacuating them from risky zones and provided them with food and primary healthcare assistance."

21 die in Cox's Bazar

The people in the district have been experiencing heavy downpour over the last five days while floodwaters have swept across 500 villages of nine upazilas under the district.

At least 21 people died from floods and landslides in the district since Tuesday last. Of them, 13 people lost their lives in five landslides while others were washed away by floodwaters. 

New areas are also getting inundated and the risks of further landslides intensified as thousands of mud houses remained under floodwaters for days.

According to the district administration, the relief ministry on Thursday allocated some 50 tonnes of rice, 2000 packets of dried food, and Tk10 lakh for the people affected by flood and landslides.

Earlier this, some 150 tonnes of rice and Tk5 lakh were distributed among the flood affected people.

The district administration also evacuated some 10,000 people from areas at high risks of landslides.

Floods, landslides in Bandarban

Heavy rainfall that inundated parts of Lama, Alikadam and Naikhongchhari upazilas in Bandarban have caused landslides but luckily did not claim any lives yet.

However, heavy rainfall might cause further landslides and that's why the district administration announced alarms asking locals to take shelters in safe places.

Lama Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Md Reza Rashid told The Business Standard that many important government offices including, upazila health complex, upazila parishad office, police station, and his official residence went under water due to the continuous heavy rainfall in the district.

More than 2000 fish enclosures washed away in Bagerhat

Coastal district Bagerhat has been witnessing heavy rainfall triggered by the depression over the Bay of Bengal that also caused floods in low-lying areas of the district.

Floodwaters caused damage of more than 2000 fish enclosures, vast crop lands and vegetable plants.

Over 50 thousand people in the district were now stranded with floodwaters and were facing immense sufferings.

Residents of Bagerhat Sadar experienced a 1-1.5 feet-high floodwater and many establishments there went under water.

Damage of crops, fishes in Satkhira

The low-lying areas of the coastal district Satkhira submerged with heavy rainfall as the downpour has been continuing here since Tuesday.

Residents of the district's many upazilas including Tala, Kalaroa, Assasuni, Debhata, and Shyamnagar were facing immense sufferings as they could not go out of their homes while their crop lands washed away and fish enclosures went under water.

According to local Met Office, 120mm rainfall was recorded in the district from 9am to 3pm on Thursday and the trend, it forecast, would continue in the next few days.