Rajshahi, Aug 27 (V7N) - India has fully opened the gates of the Farakka Dam. This dam, situated on the Ganges River upstream of Bangladesh's Padma River, has a total of 109 gates. Various media outlets have reported that all these gates were opened yesterday, Monday. Even before the gates were opened, the water level in the Padma River had been rising. The gates are usually opened during the monsoon season each year, and this year was no different. However, the news of the gates opening triggered significant anxiety among residents living along the Padma Riverbanks in the Rajshahi region. By Monday afternoon, many residents began stockpiling dry food at home, and some even flocked to local life jacket stores. According to traders, the demand for life jackets surged. Despite this, the water level in the Padma River at 6 PM yesterday was the same as it was at 9 AM today, showing no increase over 15 hours.
 
The Water Development Board’s (WDB) Northern Regional Water Measurement Division reported that the water level in the Padma River had been steadily rising over the past few days. The river, which becomes the Padma after flowing into Bangladesh from the Ganges River at the Pangsha area of Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj, had a water level of 20.48 meters at 6 AM and 20.50 meters at 3 PM on Monday. The danger level for the Padma River at Pangsha is 22.05 meters, so the water level is currently below this threshold.
 
At the Borkuti point in Rajshahi city, the danger level for the Padma River is 18.05 meters. The water level was 16.27 meters at 6 AM on Monday and increased slightly to 16.30 meters by 3 PM, remaining stable until this morning.
 
Meanwhile, Sanuar Hossain, a grocery store owner in the Terokhadia market of Rajshahi city, reported that the news of the Farakka Dam opening led to a rush of customers buying muri (puffed rice) and chira (flattened rice). His stock of muri sold out within two hours, and he was unable to sell any chira due to the shortage.
 
Akbar Ali, another grocery store owner in the Shaheb Bazar area, noted that there was a significant increase in sales of muri and chira compared to usual days, starting from the afternoon of the previous day.
 
Nazim Uddin, a trader at the RDA Market, observed that there was a surge in demand for life jackets from yesterday afternoon. Despite the limited stock of life jackets, which typically isn’t high in Rajshahi, the 10-12 available were sold out quickly. Many more customers continued to seek life jackets.
 
On social media, several individuals started sharing awareness posts about the situation. Tanvir, for instance, posted, “India has opened all the gates of Farakka. Residents of Rajshahi, stay alert!”
 
In the evening, Mukhlesur Rahman, Executive Engineer of the Rajshahi Water Development Board, indicated that the water level in the Padma River had risen by 2 centimeters over the past 9 hours. If this trend continues, there is a risk that the water level could exceed the danger threshold in the next three days. Thus, the situation in the Ganges-Padma river system is expected to remain stable for the coming three days. However, if the water continues to rise, conditions could worsen after that period.
 
Rizul Karim, Executive Engineer of the Northern Regional Water Measurement Division, explained that they usually provide a 10-day forecast for river water levels. The Padma River is not expected to exceed the danger level within the next 10 days, but this is not guaranteed as water levels are rising. The true situation will become clearer in another 2-3 days.
 
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