Padma swelling, might overflow tomorrow

Padma River is swelling up rapidly and is likely to cross the danger limit by 24 hours – owing to the opening of Farakka Barrage upstream in India.

- Swelling dangerously, ‘not seen since the 80’s’

- ‘India trying to release water rush upstream’

- Hopes on water receding in Jamuna river

The Padma river in Rajshahi swelled by 18.3 metres around 3:00pm today, our local staff correspondent reports. The danger level of the city is at 18.5 metres.

“Such overflow has not been witnessed in years,” said SM Ali Mortuza, a sub-divisional engineer of Rajshahi unit Water Development Board.

Mokhlesur Rahman, an executive engineer of Rajshahi WDB, is optimistic at the receding water at Jamuna river. “Currently, water at Jamuna river is below the danger level.”

But still, without receding in the surge of water from upstream in India, at this rate, the river will cross its danger limit in Rajshahi city by tomorrow, the official said.

The Ganges, that originates from the Himalayas, enters Bangladesh through Chapainawabganj and becomes Padma river. The Ganges is being held in Kolkata through the Farakka barrage.

India has opened up a number of sluice gates at Farakka dam, our Kushtia correspondent reports quoting Naimul Haq, an executive engineer of Water Development Board.

“India is trying to release the water rush from further upstream in Bihar,” he said.

‘SUCH SWELLING LAST SEEN IN THE 80’s’

People in Rajshahi city are worried at the sudden swelling of the Padma as it can inundate the vast low-lying areas of the river’s basin from Chapainawabganj to Pabna through Rajshahi.

“I last saw the Padma roaring this much back in the ‘80s,” said Ashraful Islam, a dweller of Dargahpara at the banks of Padma. “Now, it appears, the situation is back.”

The Padma was seen flowing along the protection dam in Rajshahi city’s Kumarpara, BoroKuthi, Dargahpara, and Bulonpur. Many of the chars that were visible a few weeks are no more.

The low-lying areas along the river have already gone under water, said Ibrahim Sheikh, a member of Horipur union parishad. Houses and flood shelters of Majhradiar, Khidirpur and Khanpur have been washed away.

With the release of water in the upstream, the rise in water levels at different points of Ganges and Padma is likely to continue for the next 4-5 days, Engineer MokhlesurRahman said.

“We are not expecting devastating flood from this and water is receding through the downstream accordingly”, he said.