Photo: BSS

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, June 29, 2026 (BSS) - The Dudhkumar in Kurigram has crossed the 
danger level and a short-term flooding is likely in the Brahmaputra basin as 
water levels of major rivers are likely to continue rising to flow above DL 
in the next 72 hours.
 
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials said that the Dudhkumar 
was flowing above the DL by 24cm at Pateswari point in Nageswari upazila of 
Kurigram at 3 pm today, inundating low-lying floodplains and some char areas.
 
Meanwhile, the Teesta was flowing above the danger level by 12cm at Tarapur 
point in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha and below the danger level by 17cm 
at Dalia in Nilphamari and at the danger level at Kawnia point in Rangpur at 
3 pm today.
 
During the last 24 hours, water levels of the Teesta, Dudhkumar and Dharla 
rivers have increased and may continue to rise over the next three days and 
may flow above the danger level at places. 
 
During this time, a short-duration flooding may occur in the adjacent low-
lying areas and floodplains of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur and Gaibandha 
districts, while the flood situation in Kurigram may further deteriorate.
 
Talking to BSS, Executive Engineer of the BWDB's Teesta Barrage Division at 
Dalia in Nilphamari Engineer Amitav Chowdhury said that water level of the 
Teesta continued to mark both rise and fall in the last 24 hours.
 
"The Teesta was flowing below the danger level by 17cm at Dalia point while 
at the danger level at Kawnia point at 3 pm today. However, it may cross the 
danger level and flow below the danger level again, depending on the rate of 
onrushing water and rainfall situation," he said.
 
As in previous monsoon seasons, all 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage Project 
(TBP) at Dalia are now being kept open to control the flow of water there, 
where the river's water level is still fluctuating.
 
BWDB's Rangpur Circle Superintending Engineer Md Ahsan Habib told BSS at 4:45 
pm that the floodplains and low-lying char areas along the Teesta and 
Dudhkumar inundated temporarily due to onrush of water from upstream amid 
monsoon rains.
 
"As we have conducted riverbank protection works along the 42 km most 
vulnerable and erosion-prone course of the Teesta last season, no major 
incident of river erosion has, so far, been reported from the area this 
time," he said.
 
However, he said that BWDB officials are closely monitoring the situation and 
are ready to take immediate steps to save flood control structures and 
riverbanks on any side of the river course and at other places on an 
emergency basis.
 
"Temporary flooding conditions may fluctuate in the low-lying char areas of 
Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat of the Brahmaputra 
basin and there is no forecast for major flooding in the next few days," 
Engineer Habib said.
 
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of BWDB in a bulletin today 
said heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded over Rangpur division and very 
heavy rainfall over Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the upstream in the last 
24 hours.
 
According to meteorological agencies, heavy to very heavy rainfall is 
forecast during the next 48 hours over Rangpur division and the adjoining 
upstream regions of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya 
States of India, followed by moderate-heavy to heavy rainfall during the 
subsequent 72 hours.
 
During the last 24 hours, water levels of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system 
have increased and this trend may continue over the next five days. 
 
During the next third to fifth day, the Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers may 
flow at Warning Level in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Sirajganj, 
and Tangail districts, and adjacent low-lying areas may be inundated at some 
places.
 
The recorded rainfalls in the upstream Indian states during the last 24 hours 
till 9am today were 203mm at Pasighat point in Arunachal Pradesh and 105mm at 
Dibrugarh point in Assam. 
 
"During the same period, heavy rainfalls recorded in the northern Bangladesh 
were 138mm at Pateshwari in Kurigram, 93mm at Badarganj in Rangpur, 82mm at 
Kurigram, 55m at Rangpur and 52mm at Kawnia in Rangpur," the FFWC bulletin 
said.