DHAKA, July 19, 2020 (BSS) – The country’s flood situation will deteriorate further at the end of July as a greater volume of onrush water will come to it due to heavy precipitation in the upstream areas.
“Generally, more precipitation occurs in July and the monsoon wind is stronger this year, and that is why rainfall is occurring in the upper catchments of the major river basins in phases,” Md Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, executive engineer of Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), told BSS.
He predicted that a bigger flood may hit the country this year as it has been forecast that heavy precipitation will occur on July 25 and 26 next in the upstream areas, contributing to further deterioration of flood situation in Bangladesh.
The FFWC executive engineer said the ongoing flood will continue till July and then it will start getting normal from the first week of August next.
This year’s flood will not be a synchronized one, he said, the flood will severely hit the Brahmaputra and Meghna basins but there would not be any severe flooding in Ganges basin despite rising trend of water levels.
Although the flood will affect the people of Brahmaputra and Meghna basins, its consequences would not be the same like the floods of 1988, 1998 and 2004, Arifuzzaman added.
According to a special bulletin of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), heavy rainfall is forecast in Assam, Himalayan foothills, West Bengal and north-east India for another four days from July 20 to 21.
As a result, the bulletin said, a severe flood may hit the country’s north, northeast and central parts.
The water levels of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers will rise from July 21 due to the onrushing water coming from the upstream. The water levels of Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers will reach at their maximum levels during July 25-26.
According to the weather forecast, about 800 mm of rainfall is likely to occur in four days beginning from July 20, which will increase the water levels in the country’s rivers. However, even if the water level rises, the Padma River may start receding from July 26 or 27. The overall flood situation may be normal at the first week of August.
About the country’s ongoing flood situation, State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Farooq in a statement today said his ministry and the BWDB in collaboration with the local district administrations are ready at the field level with the necessary materials to deal with any emergency situation caused by flood.