Sada Pathor tourist spot reopens 1 day after closure as water levels recede

Sylhet's popular tourist spot, Sada Pathor, has been reopened to visitors today (22 June), just one day after it was closed due to flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in India's Meghalaya state.

The Companiganj upazila administration decided to reopen the place after water levels in the region's rivers began to recede, although authorities have urged visitors to remain cautious because of the strong currents.

Sada Pathor was announced shut yesterday (21 June) after a sudden influx of water inundated the area, raising safety concerns for tourists.

The flash floods also affected several border areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj, while more than a hundred shops at the Jaflong tourist spot were reportedly washed away by the strong currents.

Dipak Ranjan Das, executive engineer of the Sylhet Water Development Board, said heavy rainfall continues in Meghalaya, meaning fresh upstream flows could cause river levels to rise again.

Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Robin Mia said the site had been reopened as the water level had fallen, but warned that the current remains powerful.

According to Sylhet office of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, water levels in the Surma, Kushiyara and other rivers dropped slightly between 6am and 9am today.

The Surma River at Kanaighat fell from 11.68 metres to 11.60 metres during the period, while the Sylhet point declined from 9.44 metres to 9.41 metres.

The Kushiyara River also recorded marginal decreases at several monitoring stations.

Despite the improvement, parts of Companiganj and Gowainghat in Sylhet, as well as Chhatak, Doarabazar and Tahirpur in Sunamganj, remain inundated.

Additionally, road communication between Sunamganj district and Tahirpur Upazila has also been disrupted after floodwaters submerged a road in the Anwarpur area.