, April 27 -- Rising water levels in major rivers in the northern region have sparked fears of early flooding, as heavy rainfall continues to batter several districts.

Officials of the Water Development Board (WDB) said the water levels of the Teesta, Dharla and Brahmaputra rivers have been increasing due to persistent rain throughout April.

According to the Rangpur Meteorological Office, a total of 438 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in eight northern districts in the last 24 hours, an unusually high amount for this time of the year.

Although the Teesta River is still flowing below the danger level at the Dalia point, its water level has risen steadily, increasing by around 40 centimetres over the past three days.

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