Bangladesh’s flood crisis has worsened, with the death toll climbing to 51 and more than one million people affected as relentless monsoon rains, upstream hill runoff and landslides continue to batter large parts of the country. 

While floodwaters have started receding in some areas of the southeast, authorities have warned that fresh flooding could hit the northeast and northern districts within the next two days due to forecast heavy rainfall.

According to the latest situation report issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 1,022,963 people from 267,918 families have been affected across seven worst-hit districts – Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Moulvibazar and Habiganj.

Official figures show that 51 people have lost their lives so far – 28 in Cox’s Bazar, 13 in Chattogram, six in Bandarban, three in Rangamati and one in Habiganj.

The floods have inundated 58 upazilas, affecting 386 unions and 11 municipalities, leaving vast areas submerged and disrupting normal life.

Authorities have opened 1,131 flood shelters, where 44,457 displaced people are currently taking refuge. Relief operations are continuing across the affected districts, with local administrations distributing food, drinking water and other emergency supplies.

The disaster has also dealt a severe blow to agriculture, with 534,570 hectares of cropland inundated in 12 districts, threatening food production and the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.

Govt pledges rehabilitation

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief M Iqbal Hossain has assured flood victims that the government will launch a comprehensive rehabilitation programme once the immediate emergency subsides.

While visiting flood-affected areas and distributing relief materials in Khagrachhari on Sunday, he said the government’s priority remained providing emergency food assistance before moving on to rebuilding homes, restoring agricultural land and repairing damaged infrastructure.

“The government is always with the flood victims. Food assistance is being provided now, and necessary special measures will be taken later to rehabilitate damaged houses, agricultural land and infrastructure,” he said.

Improvement in southeast, but new flood threat elsewhere

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said flood conditions in parts of the southeastern region are expected to improve gradually as river levels continue to fall. However, it warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast over the next 24 to 48 hours could trigger fresh flooding in several northeastern and northern districts.

According to the FFWC, three rivers at five monitoring stations were still flowing above danger level. These include the River Sangu at Bandarban and Dohazari, the Kushiyara River at Markuli and Fenchuganj, and the Someswari River at Khalmakanda in Netrokona.

Assistant Engineer and Duty Forecasting Officer Mostafa Kamal Jihan said heavy rainfall was expected over Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions, as well as the adjoining Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and West Bengal, raising concerns over renewed flooding.

Although water levels in the Halda, Sangu, Matamuhuri, Gomti, Feni and Selonia rivers have receded, the FFWC warned that the Muhuri, Feni, Selonia and Halda rivers could rise above danger level again in parts of Feni, Chattogram and Khagrachhari, causing short-term flooding in adjacent low-lying areas.

Low-lying parts of Lakshmipur and Noakhali may also experience temporary inundation.

In the northeast, water levels in the Manu, Dhalai and Khowai rivers have declined, but rivers including the Sari-Goyain, Jadukata, Someswari and Bhugai-Kangsha may overflow during the next two days, posing fresh flood risks in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Sherpur and Mymensingh.

The agency also said the Surma River continued to rise while the Kushiyara River remained stable. Water levels in both rivers may increase over the next 24 to 72 hours, potentially worsening flooding along the Kushiyara in Sylhet and Sunamganj, while low-lying areas along the Surma may also face temporary inundation.

Further north, rising water levels in the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers could trigger short-duration flooding in parts of Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha.

Despite these concerns, the FFWC said conditions were gradually improving in Bandarban, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar as water levels in the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers continued to fall. Similarly, receding water in the Manu, Dhalai and Khowai rivers is expected to improve the situation in Moulvibazar and Habiganj.

Crops suffer extensive damage

The Ministry of Agriculture said that 534,570 hectares of cropland have been inundated, with 28,610 hectares sustaining significant damage across 12 districts.

The affected districts are Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban, Sunamganj, Sirajganj, Habiganj, Naogaon, Jashore, Chuadanga and Meherpur.

Officials said the damaged crops include Aus paddy, Aman seedbeds, jute, summer vegetables, chilli, ginger, turmeric and various fruits.

Army, BGB intensify rescue and relief operations

The Bangladesh Army has continued round-the-clock humanitarian operations in the flood-hit areas, particularly under the Chattogram Area, supplying food, safe drinking water and other emergency necessities.

According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, troops are working continuously to support stranded residents and reduce their suffering by distributing relief supplies across affected localities.

The Army said it would maintain its humanitarian assistance until the flood situation improves and normal life returns.
Meanwhile, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed in 11 flood-affected districts to conduct rescue operations, provide emergency shelter and medical assistance, distribute relief materials and help restore damaged communication networks.

According to a BGB statement issued on Sunday, personnel have been mobilised in Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Chattogram, Feni, Sylhet, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Jamalpur.
The force has established 90 observation points to monitor the situation around the clock and ensure rapid emergency response.

So far, BGB personnel have rescued more than 600 people from 122 families, including 116 tourists stranded in flood-hit areas of Bandarban.

Encroached canals blamed for prolonged flooding

Although flash floods triggered by torrential rain and upstream runoff are a familiar phenomenon in the southeast, residents say this year’s flooding has persisted far longer than usual, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded for days.

Officials of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB), local administrators and residents attribute the prolonged flooding not only to record rainfall and unusually high tides, but also to years of unchecked encroachment on canals, blocked embankments and inoperative sluice gates that have severely restricted the natural drainage of floodwater into the Bay of Bengal.

In several areas, canals and sluice gates had reportedly been obstructed for fish enclosures, fish-catching structures and salt cultivation. Some of these obstructions were removed during the ongoing flood to facilitate drainage.

Despite reduced rainfall over the past few days, extensive areas of coastal upazilas in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar remained submerged on Sunday, leaving several lakh people marooned.

According to WDB officials, the Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers serve as the principal drainage channels for South Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. 

Rainwater rushing down from the surrounding hills normally flows into the Bay of Bengal through the Moheshkhali Channel and hundreds of interconnected canals.

The efficient functioning of these waterways, together with sluice gates controlling tidal flows, is essential for preventing prolonged flooding. 

However, years of encroachment, illegal structures and poorly maintained sluice gates have significantly slowed the discharge of floodwater.

Officials said local users often operate sluice gates themselves, with influential groups allegedly keeping them closed or partially blocked to protect fish farms and salt fields, further delaying drainage.

Banshkhali bears the brunt

Among the worst-affected areas is Banshkhali in Chattogram, where around 60,000 people remained marooned on Sunday.
The WDB says the upazila has 26 canals, of which Jalkadar, Chanua and Rajakhali are the most critical for carrying rainwater from Bandarban, Satkania and Chandanaish to the Bay of Bengal.

The 32-kilometre Jalkadar Canal, once averaging about 150 feet in width, has gradually narrowed to as little as 30 to 50 feet at many locations because of widespread encroachment.

Residents say hundreds of houses, shops, business establishments and sawmills have sprung up along the canal over the years, severely restricting water flow.

According to the WDB, 15 of Banshkhali’s 89 sluice gates are completely inoperative, while many others are in poor condition.
“I have never seen such a terrible flood in Banshkhali and water standing for so long in my life. Our houses and furniture have all been washed away,” said Neyamat Ali, 60, a resident of Chhanua Union.

“The problem of our area is this Jalkadar Canal. Due to illegal filling and encroachment on both sides, the water cannot be drained easily. Although the sluice gates are encroached in various ways, the WDB authorities cannot take strong steps to repair them,” he alleged.

WDB Sub-Divisional Engineer Anupam Paul acknowledged that the area’s drainage capacity had been seriously compromised.

He said many small and large canals had already been filled up, while three major canals remained under encroachment, causing villages on both sides to remain submerged for prolonged periods. Higher-than-normal tidal surges associated with the full moon had further aggravated the situation.

Similar conditions were reported from Chakaria, Pekua and Matamuhuri in Cox’s Bazar, where floodwaters had receded from many localities but thousands of residents remained stranded.

According to the WDB, the district has 191 sluice gates, many of which have been affected by encroachment and obstruction.
Shahin Delwar, upazila nirbahi officer for Chakaria and Matamuhuri, said some canals and sluice gates remained blocked for fish enclosures and development projects, disrupting the normal flow of water.

He said the administration had nevertheless maintained strict vigilance to keep sluice gates open wherever possible.
Chattogram division records widespread destruction

According to divisional authorities, the rain- and flood-related death toll in Chattogram Division has reached 51, after five more people died in landslide and drowning incidents.

As of Sunday, 34,723 people were staying in 3,941 shelters across the division.

The disaster has damaged 79,187 houses, 344 educational institutions, around 3,840 kilometres of roads, and 339 bridges and culverts, affecting 408 unions and municipalities in 11 districts.

Among them, 176 unions and municipalities in Chattogram district have suffered the worst damage, followed by 74 in Cox’s Bazar, 42 in Rangamati, 41 in Khagrachhari, and 36 in Bandarban.

Shelter occupancy included 22,600 people in 670 shelters in Chattogram, 1,580 people in 618 shelters in Cox’s Bazar, 6,250 people in 200 shelters in Bandarban, 3,903 people in 53 shelters in Rangamati, and 581 people in 150 shelters in Khagrachhari.

Officials said Satkania and Banshkhali remained among the hardest-hit upazilas.

A burial made impossible by floodwater

The human cost of the disaster was poignantly illustrated in Keochia Union of Satkania.

On Friday, images of a coffin being transported on a makeshift raft through floodwater spread across the country.

Local residents said Forkan, a resident of Keochia, fell ill while fishing in floodwater and later died at home.
With the family graveyard submerged, relatives were unable to bury him there.

Instead, they carried the coffin about 300 metres across floodwater on a raft before transporting it another two kilometres by auto-rickshaw to government-owned hillside land, where he was finally laid to rest.

The episode underscored the extraordinary hardship faced by flood-hit communities, many of whom remain cut off from basic services.

Meanwhile, fresh heavy rainfall on Saturday night and Sunday morning caused renewed waterlogging in several low-lying parts of Chattogram city, including Chandgaon, Panchlaish, Bakolia and Agrabad Daiyapara, disrupting traffic and daily commuting.

Rail services restored

In a sign of gradual recovery, train services on the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar route resumed on Sunday after remaining suspended for five days because of flood damage.

Farhan Mahmud, divisional transport officer of Bangladesh Railway’s Eastern Zone, said the Parjatak Express departed Chattogram for Cox’s Bazar at 1:35pm after repair work on damaged tracks was completed.

The train successfully crossed the previously inundated section between Sholashahar Sunnia Madrasah and Shamsher Para, where rail lines had remained underwater since 7 July.

Government vows sustained support

During a visit to a shelter centre in Rangamati on Saturday night, State Minister M Iqbal Hossain said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was personally monitoring the disaster response and had instructed authorities to continue relief operations for as long as necessary.

He said rehabilitation programmes would begin once floodwaters recede and acknowledged that environmental degradation and the declining navigability of rivers and canals had intensified the disaster.

“The Prime Minister has kept all of us constantly engaged. He is providing guidance on what measures should be taken and remains informed about the activities of all ministries,” he said.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit also visited flood-hit areas of Chandgaon C&B, Mohra and South Kattoli in Chattogram on Sunday.

Accompanied by Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain and local lawmakers, he distributed rice, pulses, edible oil, dry food, drinking water and other essentials among affected families.

After visiting inundated neighbourhoods and speaking with residents, he assured them that no affected family would be left without government assistance and instructed the local administration to provide all necessary support.

Technical institutions put on flood alert

The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has issued an urgent directive to 161 government technical schools and colleges. 

Institutions must relocate laboratory equipment and important documents to higher floors and are instructed to form emergency response cells. 

They have been asked to remain prepared to serve as temporary shelters, with teachers and staff ordered to remain on duty to ensure uninterrupted coordination during the crisis.

FP/A