Our Correspondent reported from Sirajganj that about 100 villages were inundated in five upazilas as the Jamauna rose by 40 cms in the last 24 hours ending at 6 am on Friday at Sirajganj point, Water Development Board (WDB) sources said. The river is flowing has above the danger mark there.

At least 25,000 people have taken shelter on the highway in Kazipur.

The affected upazilas are Kazipur, Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi, Chowhali and Shahjadpur; where about 10,000 kutcha houses have also been submerged.

A five-kilometre stretch of the Sirajganj-Kazipar highway has gone under water, snapping road link between Sirajganj and Kazipur Thursday night.

Three culverts and a bailey bridge on the of Patagram-Baoithola road collapsed due to pressure of water.

Agriculture Extension Dep-artment sources said the floodwater damaged crops on at least 12,000 hectares of land.

The floodwater washed away a portion of Ratonkhandi bazaar in the Sadar upazila.

Our Nilphamari correspondent reported that the flood situation deteriorated in Dimla, Jaladhaka and Kessoreganj upazilas as the Teesta was flowing 10 cms above the danger mark at the Teesta Barrage point Friday morning.

Erosion by the Teesta damaged a regulator of

the Buri Teesta Irrigation Project and washed away part of Jharsinghersor village in Dimla.

About 1500 affected families of the village have taken shelter on the Teesta embankment.

The Nilphamari-Rangpur highway is threatened due to erosion by the Charalkata river, a tributary of the Teesta. The Cahralkata is now only about one metre from the highway, Official sources said.

About 25 families have moved to safer places in the area, they said.

A BSS report from Faridpur said the Padma is rising and is now flowing only 10cm below the danger level.

The Faridpur district administration in an emergency meeting on Thursday decided to take steps to face the situation in view of the alarming rise in the water level, official sources said.

The steps included protection of the existing 139 kilometer flood prtection embankment, evacuation of flood affected people and distribution of relief goods and medicines among them and creating awareness about flood.

Presided over by ADC (Gen) Nurul Amin, the meeting was attended by political leaders and WDB officials.