SK Sirajul Islam Siraj, Moulvibazar

Continuous heavy torrential rains and a massive rush of upstream hill water have triggered critical flood conditions across Moulvibazar district.

Embankments along the Manu River have breached at two locations in Rajnagar upazila and one point in Kulaura upazila, inundating at least 40 villages and leaving thousands of residents marooned.

Water levels in all major rivers across the district have risen sharply, with the Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai, and Juri rivers continuously flowing well above their respective danger marks. Local authorities fear the flood situation will deteriorate further if the heavy downpours and upstream torrents persist.

According to data from the Sreemangal Weather Office, the region has been battered by relentless precipitation over the past few days, recording 91 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning, followed by 79 mm through Wednesday evening, and an additional 95 mm by Thursday morning.

The extreme volume of water caused a critical breach along the Manu River embankment at Uzipur within Tengra union of Rajnagar upazila on Thursday afternoon. Torrential waters rushed into local habitats, submerging the villages of Haripasha, Uzipur, Kandikul, Ekamadhu, and Ganeshpur. The administration has urgently requested residents in these zones to move their belongings and evacuate to safer shelters. Meanwhile, river waters have reached the level of the embankment at Bhangarhat in Rajnagar, and overflowing water over the dam at Ward 2 of Kamarchak Union threatens to submerge adjacent settlements at any moment.

Concurrently, in Kulaura upazila, the river smashed through a damaged dyke at Shikoria under Prithimpasha union, rapidly flooding low-lying areas across multiple villages, including Shikoria and Gonokia. Parts of Ward 1 in Moulvibazar town have also been submerged due to the accumulating floodwaters.

In Kamalganj upazila, the situation remains equally grim as around 15,000 people have been left stranded across several flooded villages in Islampur, Madhabpur, and Adampur unions. The strong currents have caused extensive damage to newly planted Aus paddy fields and seasonal vegetable crops. The hill torrents also triggered the collapse of a crucial culvert at Goabari near the Nurjahan Tea Estate on the Sreemangal-Madhabpur road, while the inundation of the Adampur-Islampur road has completely severed localized road communication.

The flooding has also caused severe distress in low-lying parts of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila. The onrushing waters completely submerged over a hundred houses belonging to a government Ashrayan housing project located right on the banks of the Manu River. Consequently, more than 200 displaced project residents have been forced to take refuge in various government primary schools and on elevated sections of the Manu embankment.

Relief operations have been initiated in the affected areas. When contacted, Khaled Bin Walid, the Executive Engineer of the Moulvibazar Water Development Board, stated that a breach has also developed at Makhavil along the Dhalai River.

He noted that the board had previously been unable to carry out necessary reinforcement works on that specific section of the Makhavil dyke due to repeated obstructions from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).