Chattogram region brace for heavy falls, heightening landslide risks

Chattogram and its neighbouring districts are bracing for heavy to very heavy rainfall expected to continue until midnight on Thursday (August 22). 

The Flood Forecasting and Control Center and meteorological experts have warned of an increased risk of floods and landslides in the Chattogram and Chittagong Hill Tracts regions.

Mostafa Kamal Palash, a weather and climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, stated, "According to the European weather forecast model, there is a possibility of 200 to 250 millimeters of rain in Chattogram, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Cumilla, and Feni districts by 12:00 on Thursday."

The overnight rainfall is expected to be particularly heavy in the Chattogram and Chittagong Hill Tracts, posing a significant risk of landslides, especially along the Sangu River. 

The risk of landslides remains high in northern Chattogram, Rangamati, and Khagrachari districts through Friday.

The government's Flood Forecasting and Control Center has indicated that the flood situation in Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram, Rangamati, and Khagrachari districts is likely to worsen over the next 24 hours. Rivers such as Feni, Halda, Karnaphuli, and Sangu are expected to swell.

As of 9:00am today, all rivers in bordering disricts of Bangladesh and India's Tripura state are flowing above flood levels. 

With continuous rain forecasted throughout the night, there is a strong likelihood that the water levels in all rivers across the Chittagong and Sylhet divisions will exceed the flood line in the next 24 hours.

Local reports indicate that water levels are already nearing critical points in the Halda River in North Chattogram, Karnaphuli in Chattogram,  the Chengi in Khagrachari, and Sangu river in Bandarban due to persistent rainfall.

Patenga Meteorological Office Forecasting Officer Ismail Bhuiyan told Jago News, "There is a strong likelihood that the heavy rains will persist until Thursday, with the possibility of further rain on Friday."