Over 72% of Sylhet division under water
More than 72 percent of Sylhet division is under water.
Out of four districts in Sylhet division – 89 percent area of Sunamganj, 72 percent of Sylhet, 70 percent of Habiganj, and 50 percent of Moulvibazar was submerged.
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Based on analysis of high-resolution Sentinel-1 radar (SAR) satellite images captured on the afternoon of June 16, 2022, Casual Faculty Palash Basak of the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia made the flood map.
However, the downpour has been continuing and the situation worsened since those satellite images were taken.
"Perhaps more area has been submerged in the Sylhet division after these satellite images were taken. The Sylhet area will be snapped again in the early morning, tomorrow (19 June, 2022 Bangladesh time) from which we will get an updated information," said Palash Basak, a former graduate of Dhaka university.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said, the water level will rise further in the Sylhet division as heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in the Sylhet division in the next 24 hours.
The flood was triggered on Wednesday (June 15, 2022) due to torrential rainfall in the north-eastern districts, and the flash flood in upstream India's Meghalaya and Assam where record-breaking rainfall was recorded.
More than 40 lakh people remain marooned in different upazilas and towns while other areas are on the verge of being inundated in the Sylhet division.
The local administration is conducting rescue operations with the help of army and local council representatives to save all stranded people in the remote flooded areas.
As days pass, the cry for rescue and relief is intensifying in the flood-affected areas. Many parts remain unreachable due to the high tide of floodwater and the shortages of vessels.
Asked, Prof AKM Sailful Islam of the Institute of Water and Flood Management at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) said, it is a very unusual event.
"Sudden flood was triggered by unusually very heavy rainfall. Such events take place once or twice in a hundred years," he said.
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