Feni, July 9 -- Rising water levels in three rivers in Feni fuelled by heavy rainfall and upstream hill runoff from India's Tripura state have heightened fears of flood among thousands of people in riverside areas.

Residents of Parshuram, Fulgazi and Chhagalnaiya upazilas spent a sleepless night watching vulnerable embankments, fearing that any breach could inundate their homes as has happened repeatedly in previous years.

According to the Feni District Weather Office, the district recorded 56 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours until 9 am on Thursday.

District Weather Officer Mujibur Rahman said rainfall influenced by the active monsoon is likely to continue for the next few days.

The situation has been worsened by upstream water flowing ...