Bangladesh has been hit by extensive monsoon flooding, leaving approximately 1.8 million people stranded in the northeast after weeks of heavy rains submerged
homes and devastated farmland, state media and humanitarian agencies reported.
Footage shows large areas of Sylhet city and the nearby town of Sunamganj underwater in the second wave of flooding to affect the region in less than a month, according to state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
The flooding, triggered by prolonged torrential rain and water runoff from the hilly regions on the Indian border, caused four rivers to swell beyond their danger levels, the Water Development Board reported last week.
Villagers in the hardest-hit areas of Sylhet were seen wading through chest-deep water, attempting to protect their belongings from the muddy waters. Concerns are growing for those trapped by floodwaters who now face food shortages and a lack of clean water.
About 964,000 people in Sylhet and 792,000 in Sunamganj have been affected by the flooding. Authorities have set up more than 6,000 shelters for the displaced, BSS reported. Among those affected are 772,000 children in urgent need of assistance, according to the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF). More than 800 schools have been flooded, with 500 more being used as flood shelters.
“As waters rise, children are the most vulnerable, facing heightened risks of drowning, malnutrition, deadly waterborne diseases, the trauma of displacement, and potential abuse in overpopulated shelters,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.
International development organization BRAC is delivering emergency food and health support to hundreds of families in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Approximately 2.25 million people have been affected by the flash floods, leaving 12,000 people in the region without power.
Khondoker Golam Tawhid, head of BRAC’s Disaster Risk Management Program, said flooding in the country is “becoming more dangerous” with “huge losses to livelihoods, biodiversity, and infrastructure — and interruptions to schooling and health services.”
“Bangladesh is used to flooding, but climate change is making floods more intense and less predictable, making it impossible for families to stay safe, let alone plan ahead,” Tawhid added.
Fish farmers have also faced significant losses as floodwaters wash away thousands of farms and ponds, with local media reporting an economic toll of over $11.4 million.
Densely populated and low-lying Bangladesh is prone to seasonal rains, flooding, and cyclones. However, studies show the South Asian country is one of the world’s most vulnerable to the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the humanitarian and economic impacts on Bangladesh will continue to worsen.
By 2050, 13 million people in Bangladesh could become climate migrants, and severe flooding could reduce GDP by as much as 9%, according to the World Bank.
The latest heavy rains and floods came as the region was barely recovering from widespread flooding in late May following Tropical Cyclone Remal, which impacted about 5 million people in Bangladesh and southern India.
“For many, this will change the course of their lives, leaving them without homes and schools and forcing them to move to temporary shelters for who knows how long,” said Sultana Begum, Save the Children’s regional humanitarian advocacy and policy manager for Asia. “Everything we are hearing points towards these kinds of extreme weather events getting worse and worse. The climate emergency is already making its mark on India and Bangladesh, and it is robbing children of their homes, families, food, water, and access to education and healthcare.”
Monsoon rains and landslides have also affected southern Bangladesh, where about a million people from the Rohingya Muslim community live in the world’s biggest refugee camps, having fled persecution and violence in neighboring Myanmar.
At least 10 people, including three children, died from mudslides and heavy rainfall in the refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar, according to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. “People have been evacuated from the low-lying areas and at least 500 people have been shifted to other relief centers,” Hasan Sarwar, head of the refugee cell for the ministry, told CNN.
Many Rohingya refugees live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides. Photo by Oregon State University, Wikimedia commons.