Flash flood hits Teesta char people

Around 50 thousand people in char areas of Lalmonirhat became marooned as heavy rain and onrush of water from the upstream caused overflowing of the Teesta river and consequent flash floods in low lying areas of 21 unions in the district’s five upazilas on Wednesday.

The river was flowing 21 centimetres and 14 centimetres above its danger mark at Teesta Barrage point at Dowani in Lalmonirhat’s Hatibandha upazila on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, said Bajle Karim, sub-divisional engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) in Lalmonirhat.

The floodwater, however, started receding fast as the water went under the danger level yesterday, he said.

The flash flood caused inundation of Aman paddy plants and vegetables on vast areas and many of the affected people took shelter on the government roads and flood centres with their domestic animals and necessary things.

With recession of floodwater, some of them started returning home yesterday.

“All the Aman plants on my seven-bigha land have gone under water,” said Nazrul Islam, 65, a farmer at Teesta river basin Gobordhan village in Aditmari upazila.

Fazlar Rahman, 58, of the same village said his vegetable garden on a two-bigha land was submerged due to the flash flood.

Bidhubhushon Roy, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat, said vast crop fields with Aman paddy and vegetables went under water due to the flash flood in Teesta char areas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“The flash flood will not be a threat to Aman paddy as the water has started receding. But it may cause some damage to vegetables,” said WDB official Bajle Karim.