Over 16 lakh people are waterlogged in four districts of Bangladesh's greater Sylhet division due to heavy rainfall and mountain runoff from India. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department fears that the situation will deteriorate further in the next 72 hours.

It has been raining heavily for the past one week in Sylhet. Meanwhile, the neighboring states of Assam and Meghalaya in India have also experienced heavy rains and floods. As a result, the water flowing from the hills of Meghalaya state has taken the form of severe floods in the lower areas of Sylhet. Although Sylhet, Sunamganj and Moulvibazar were initially flooded, dozens of villages in Nabiganj upazila were flooded after the Khoai river dam in Habiganj broke on Wednesday afternoon.

Netizens are citing the Itna-Mithamain highway as the main cause of Sylhet floods. Again mixed reactions started on it. Most netizens, including experts, cited this road as a reason. On the other hand, another side claims the height of Sylhet above sea level: Sobhanighat 17-20 meters, Upshahar 14-16 meters. And the height of Itna road from the sea level is 6 meters, Mitamine 7 meters. Since Sylhet is lower than Metamine. If water is blocked through the road, Kishoreganj is supposed to sink. Sylhet is not about to sink.

Thousands of houses in Kulaura are waterlogged. Photo: DD/Abdul Kayum

Sylhet's flood situation and causes discussed on Facebook on Tuesday in a live program moderated by Nizamul Haque Bipul, Professor Dr. Syed Ashrafur Rahman, Department of Political Studies, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Director General, Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Directorate, Ehsanul Haque Jasim, Ph.D Researcher, Dhaka University and Senior Reporter, Daily Bangladesh Post and Bijan Sen Roy, General Secretary, Haor Bachao Andolan, Central Committee.

Some of the causes of the flood in Sylhet are known from the discussants in the said live event:

• In the state of Meghalaya, India, various projects are being carried out by destroying forest areas. As a result, the number of trees has decreased. Due to which the rainwater is entering Bangladesh very quickly through the hill slopes. The water which used to take 3 days to come earlier is now coming down in 1 day. Moreover, when some water is dammed, it opens the dam when it gets out of control. As a result, the water entered Bangladesh very quickly and turned into a flash flood.
  
• A lot of residential houses are being built in Sunamganj and Hakaluki Haor. Shops are being built by filling small holes. Blocking the drain by putting dirt in it.
•  Even after Sylhet's rivers were filled with silt, excavation work was not done properly.

Meanwhile, India's Meteorological Department said heavy rains will continue in Assam till June 21 and rains will continue in Meghalaya till June 23.

Heavy rains and floods have destroyed agricultural land and produce worth around Rs 1 crore in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya state. Moreover, more than 3 thousand people are staying in shelters due to flood.

Meteorologists fear that heavy rains in India and Bangladesh for the next 3 days may take the current flood situation to a more dire state.

Chairman of Itna Upazila Parishad Chowdhury Kamrul Hasan said, 'This road has nothing to do with the flood of Sunamganj. This road has nothing to do with the points that are there for the water flow coming down from Sunamganj.

Matiur Rahman, executive engineer of the Water Development Board, said in a Newsbangla report, "Sylhet's water comes down through two-three rivers." One is Surma and the old Surma with name Dhanu. The water of Sunamganj also goes down through this river. The river is parallel to one side of the road. Another river of Sylhet region is Kushiara Haor, Kalini river. It went down on the other side of the road. Considering that, this all weather road is not stopping the water from coming down in any way. Because, the river flow and the position of the road are parallel, not crosswise.

According to the latest information, two children died after being washed away by flood in Paschim Shamerkona area of ​​Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila on Thursday (June 20) morning.