Heavy rain floods parts of Sylhet city, tourist hotspot Jaflong

Heavy rainfall since early this morning (20 May) has caused severe waterlogging in many parts of Sylhet city, submerging around 20 areas and causing significant disruption for residents.

The popular tourist destination of Jaflong in Gowainghat upazila has also gone underwater due to flash floods caused by hill runoff from upstream, prompting authorities to suspend all tourism activities.

According to the Sylhet Meteorological Office, the city recorded 169 millimetres of rainfall between 6am and 12pm today, with 101 millimetres falling between 6am and 9am alone. The weather office has forecast continued rainfall in the region.

Sylhet has been experiencing rainfall over the past several days, raising fears of waterlogging among residents in the city's low-lying areas.

Today, several areas – including Upashahar, Teroratan, Sobhanighat, Taltala, Masudighir Par, Chharar Par, Manipuri Rajbari, Sheikhghat, Ghasitula, Babna, and Station Road – were inundated. Water entered homes and shops in many of these locations, adding to the residents' distress.

"Water entered my house this morning due to the rain. I had to skip work and keep the kids home from school just to clean up," said Kaiser Ahmed, a resident of Sylhet's Taltala area.

He added, "We face this ordeal every year. This time, our home has been flooded twice in just one week – and the monsoon hasn't even started yet."

Waterlogging has long been a major problem in Sylhet city. Residents have suffered for years despite multiple attempts to address the issue. Crores of taka have been spent, yet the results have been far from satisfactory.

According to sources at Sylhet City Corporation, several plans were formulated to protect city residents following the devastating floods of 2022. However, there has been little implementation of those plans so far.

Sylhet City Corporation's Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman said the city authorities had taken steps to protect residents of low-lying areas following the floods two years ago.

"We had planned several projects, including riverbank protection and drainage systems," he said. "However, these initiatives are still in the discussion phase and have not yet moved forward."

Flash flood submerges Jaflong

A sudden onrush of water from India's Meghalaya state flowed into Bangladesh via the Piyain River around 10am yesterday (19 May), rapidly inundating Jaflong's Zero Point and surrounding areas.

The strong current caused riverbank erosion, putting nearby homes and businesses at risk. Local administration sources said the water level rose close to the danger mark within hours.

Residents were instructed to evacuate to safer locations.

In addition to Jaflong, riverbank areas in Gowainghat, Companiganj, and Kanaighat upazilas were also hit by flash floods, damaging several earthen homes.

The Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours in Sylhet and Meghalaya, warning that water levels may continue to rise and worsen the flood situation.

The government has issued a flash flood alert and declared Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions as "high-risk zones". Teams from the Disaster Management Department, the army, and the Red Crescent have been placed on standby.

Meanwhile, water levels continue to rise in the Surma, Kushiyara, and Sari rivers.