The flood situation may take an alarming turn in the central districts including Dhaka in the next three to four days, the Flood Forecasting anil Warning Centre said last night.
The centre sent a special alert signal to the top authorities. saying the situation in and around Dhaka city "needs special attention from all corners” as It is apprehended to assume a serious proportion.
Relief Ministry's control room said the grim situation in 32 districts took a disastrous shape and water remained static only in Narail district.
In Narayanganj. the district administration yesterday
started looking for ways to evacuate people in case the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment collapses, according to officials.
Breaches have developed at 36 points of the dam and the water level is rising further threatening the embankment.
In the event of an evacuation. the district administration has asked the army, police and the Red Crescent volunteers to participate In the effort.
Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj Abdur Rahman told the BBC yesterday evening that his administration would start evacuating people as soon as he gets signal from the Water
Development Board officials concerned.
Meanwhile, some residents of Postagola within the embankment started leaving their homes on their own late last night, a WDB engineer said.
At Chashara. the most vulnerable point, the height of the protection wall built by over 20.000 sand bags has been raised by another six inches as the water level of the Shita-lakya rose by another 8 cm yesterday.
MA Monaem. ADC (General) of Narayanganj. told The Daily-Star last night that all efforts were being taken to save the embankment Some six lakh
people live in the area protected by the embankment.
He said that a magistrate. Mahfuzul Haq. was stationed at Chashara railway station for keeping constant vigilance while patrol teams led by two other magistrates were keeping vigilance on the Chashara-Pagla portion of the dam last night.
A P1D handout said last night. Roads and Highways De partment officials and employees were working round the clock to save the 34-kilometre DND embankment, which became most vulnerable at Ali-ganj. Panchabati and Chashara points.
Twenty-one people died yesterday from drowning, snake bite and electrocution in the country, raising the flood related death toll to 631, said the control room of the Relief Ministry.
Health Directorate said diarrhoea claimed another 14 people and 8,312 more were attacked in 24 hours till noon yesterday. With this, the death toll from diarrhoea rose to 134.
Apart from the Padma and Mahananda. the Sitalakhya at Narayanganj also crossed the previous highest record in a century ana was flowing 6.92 metre above the danger mark.
The Buriganga and Turag. ' now flowing 6.92 metres and 7.61 metres above their respective danger levels, will further rise by 24 cm and 29 cni by 6 am on September 11.
According to Relief Ministry control room, the districts where the situation aggravated further yesterday are: Dhaka. Narayanganj. Munshlganj. ManikganJ. Narsingdi. Gazipur Madaripur. Faridpur. Shariatpur. Rajbarl. GopalganJ. My-mensingh. Jamalpur. Sherpur. KlshoreganJ. Tangail. Kuri-gram. Galbandha. Rajshahi. Naogaon. Chapainawabganj Pabha, Sirajganj, Bogra. Comilla. Brahmanbaria. Chandpur. Habiganj. Noakhali. Laxmipur. Barism and Kushtla.
The FFWC, predicting slow improvement of flood situation. said "but it all depends on the phenomenon of nature."
It. however, said: "Since the rainfall and the inflow at the upper catchment area seems better, the recession of flood water depends on the tidal effect at the estuary of the country."