Residents of Gomtipara were passing the day in anxiety and fear as the water level of the Gomti River rose due to continuous rains and upstream inflows from India. Although the water level is below the danger level, many spent sleepless nights in fear. However, as the water has started receding for the past two days, relief has begun to return among the locals. The water has already receded by at least four feet.
The Water Development Board (Paubo) and the local administration say that the sudden rise in the water level of the Gomti River had raised fears of flooding like last year. However, that fear has already been dispelled as the water has started receding. The way the water is receding suggests that the situation will return to normal in a day or two.
On the night of August 22 last year, the Gomti River in the Burburia area of Burichang upazila of the district collapsed and flooded several upazilas including Burichang-Brahmanpara. Since that incident, whenever the water level in the Gomti rises, panic has spread among the people.
According to the Comilla office of the PAUBO, the danger level of the Gomti River in Comilla is 11.30 meters. The river water level rose due to rain and upstream inflow until 9 am yesterday, Thursday. At that time, the water was flowing at a level of 9.68 meters. Since then, the water has started to recede slowly. Today, Friday, at 6 pm, the water was flowing at a level of 8.48 meters. Accordingly, the water level of the Gomti has decreased by 1.20 meters in 33 hours from yesterday morning to this afternoon; which is about four feet. Currently, the river water is flowing about 9 feet below the danger level. Since there is no rain today, the water is decreasing rapidly.
Monir Hossain, a resident of Gomtipar in Aranyapur area of Adarsh Sadar, said, “We live in the middle of the char. I was thinking that this time too, we will carry all the water of the Ganges with us. But the water has not increased for two days. Even though it rained on Thursday, the water is not increasing. God is protecting us. The water has decreased a lot. The fear of the people of the Ganges is not like before.”
Motaleb Hossain of Burichang’s Kamarkhara area said, “The water is receding, which is a great relief. The anxiety that people had is largely gone. The water has receded a lot due to the heat of the sun all day today. If it goes on like this for another day or two, the Gomti River will return to its previous state.” He said, in the past, land grabbers have looted the soil of the Gomti Char and damaged the Char. Due to which, even when the water level rises, many agricultural lands in the Char are submerged even though it is below the danger level. This time too, the increase in water has caused a lot of damage to the vegetables in the Char.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Abed Ali told Prothom Alo that the fear that was created due to the sudden rise in the water level of the Gomti has already been overcome. If the situation continues like this, the river’s condition will return to normal by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. So far, there has been no flooding anywhere in the district. Waterlogging occurred in some places in Nangalkot, Laksam and Manoharganj of the district. Those have also been resolved by the local administration.
Comilla Meteorological Department officer-in-charge Syed Arifur Rahman said, “We currently have zero rainfall here. Due to the influence of the active monsoon, there may be light to moderate rainfall in some places in Chittagong division on Saturday.”
Source: Prothom Alo
