The Teesta, which rose on Sunday and crossed the danger mark by five centemetres at night at Dalia, recorded a fall by 23 centimetres yesterday, Water Development Board (WDB) sources said.

In Sirajganj, the Jamuna is rising, inundating more areas in five upazilas, our correspondents reported.

In Sherpur, the Bhogai river embankment collapsed at Hatipagar yesterday, inundating eight unions in Nalitabari upazila in the district and vast areas Haluaghat and Fulpur upazilas in Mymensingh.

Our Nilphamari Correspondent reports: The Teesta flow was recorded at 51.80 metres at 2 pm yesterday. The danger mark is 52.25 metres.

WDB sources at Dalia said the Teesta level came down possibly because of closure of sluice gates of Gojal Doba Barrage on the river by Indian authorities.

But the danger is not over as they will open all the gates when the river will cross the danger mark again in the Indian territory, they said.

More areas in Domar and Dimla upazilas have been inundated as all the rein-fed tributaries of the Teesta are now swelling, administration sources said.

At least 15,000 people are marooned in Jharsingerswar, Chhatunama, Vendamari, Tapur Char, Bhasanir Char, Soti Ghat, Fakroter Char, East Khari Bari, Char Khari Bari and the villages of Baishpukur, Pagal Para, Dohol Para, Chhoto Khata and Holdi Bari.

WDB sources said the Teesta embankment in Holdi Bari in Jaldhaka upazila is threatened due to pressure of water. WDB authorities are dumping sand bags to protect it. They said spar nos. 2 and 3 in the river at Jharsingerswar have become vulnerable due to strong current.

The Deputy Commissioner along with the District Relief Officer (DRO) visited inundated Baishpukur village on Monday. The DRO, when contacted yesterday, said relief is yet to sent anywhere. Relief would be sent when necessary, he said.

Our Gaibandha Correspondent reports: Downpour in the last three days, coupled with onrush of water from across the border through the Teesta and Brahmaputra, have inundated vast areas in four upazilas in the district.

Water level of all the Brahmaputra rose by up to 35 centimetres at different points in the last two days but the river is still flowing below the danger level, WDB sources said.

The inundated areas are in Sayedpur, Bhaserpara, Kanchipara and Balashi udner Fulchari upazila; Chithlia, Mesbari, Nutan Bander and Gidari in Gaibandha Sadar upazila; Beragram, Gobindi and Nalsia in Shaghata Upazila; Kapasia, Tarapur and Haripur in Sunderganj Upzila.

Over 1,500 families became homeless in the areas by river erosion in last one week. They have taken shelter on the Brahmaptra flood control embankment, sources in the areas said.

A Correspondent reports from Sirajganj: The Jamuna and its tributaries in Sirajganj marked further rise due to rains in the last two days and onrush of waters from the upstream.

Erosion by the Jamuna has taken a serious turn in Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi, Chowhaly, Kazirpur and Shahzadpur upazilas of the district.

According to sources in WDB and in the district administration, at least 30,000 of people have been affected by flood in shoal areas in the five upazilas. The worst affected areas are Natuarpara, Alampur, Gandail and Meghai Bazar area in Kazipur; Shailabari, Khokshabari, Simla, Vatpiary and Shialkhol in Sirajganj Sadar; Randhumibari, Shohapur, Chala, Betil, Suborno Sara, Mukundagati in Belkuchi and Kaizuri and Suntola in Shahzadpur. Most of the people in the areas have moved to safer places as their homesteads are under knee-deep water.

About one kilometre area of the Jamuna embankment in Kazipur has been affected, inundating at least 10,000 acres of cropland, sources in the agriculture department said.

Our Netrakona Correspondent reports: The temporary protection erected on the vulnerable embankment of Bhogai river at Hatipagar collapsed due to pressure of water rolling down the river from hilld across the border, according to Nalitabari Upazila Engineer Ashraful Haque

The eight unions flooded in Nalitabari are are Nalitabari Sadar, Morichpur, Rajnagar, Jugania, Kalaspar, Nayabil, Nakugao and Gobinda Nagar. Rains in the last two days in the area aggravated the situation.

Nayabil Union Parishad (UP) chairman Yunush Ali told this correspondent most of the houses have gone under three to four feet water. Floodwaters washed away about 500 thatched houses and damaged thousands of acres of newly planted 'Aman' saplings, he said.

The embankment breached at Hatipagar in last year's flood. Following publication of several stories in The Daily Star, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Sherpur in December last year, submitted a Tk 4.34 crore project for repair of the embankment but it was not approved, according to LGED official sources.

Sherpur LGED repaired the dam temporarily with bamboo and sandbags at a cost of Tk 4.75 lakh recently, but it collapsed.