Shawdesh Desk:

Flooding in the country’s northern and central regions has further worsened, leaving around three million people marooned and inundating vast tracts of cropland.

Rising water levels of different rivers of the Ganges basin coupled with onrush of upstream water and heavy rain has deteriorated the flood situation.

The flooding damaged numerous houses, standing crops on vast tracts of land, communications infrastructures, educational institutions and other establishments in the regions.

The water level of the Ganges River marked an increase by one cm at Rajshahi point and five cm at Goalundo point this morning. However, the river was flowing 192 cm below the danger level at Rajshahi point while 105cm above the danger mark at Goalundo point.

Of the total 30 river points being monitored in Ganges basin, water levels increased at 19 stations, decreased at nine stations and static at two points at 9:00am today.

Besides, the water level of the Jamuna River in Bogura and Sirajganj districts slightly increased.

Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, executive engineer of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC, said the water level of the Jamuna River increased by 14 centimeters at Sariakandi point in Bogura district flowing 111 cm above the danger mark while the river is flowing 88cm and 78cm above the danger level with 14 cm and 12 rise afresh at Kazipur and Sirajgonj points respectively this morning.

He also said the water level of the Gur River increased by six cm at Singra point in Natore district. The river was flowing 83 cm above the danger mark.

The Atrai River was flowing 15 cm above the danger level at Atrai point in Naogaon district with six cm rise this morning.

Of the 13 river points both in Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins being monitored, water levels increased at 11 stations, while decreased at one station and remained unchanged at one station.

Flood situation in many areas has worsened because of inundation of mainland and the damaging of flood control embankments at different areas in the region.

People are suffering much for acute shortages of food and safe drinking water.

So far 3.04 million flood victims in 21 districts have been passing miserable life with the second spell of flooding in the country, according to National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRRC).

Displaced people have been passing their days under open sky as their dwellings were washed away by floodwater while waterborne diseases like diarrhoea have broken out in flood-hit areas.

According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, the situation is likely to worsen further in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Natore, Bogura, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Tangail and Naogaon districts in the next 24 hours while it will remain unchanged in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Chandpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur and low lying area of Dhaka district.

River water was rising at 49 of the 101 points observed by the warning centre in the morning.

Nineteen major rivers are flowing above their danger marks (DM) at 30 stations on Friday, according to FFWC.