Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in northeast Bangladesh, leaving approximately 1.8 million people stranded. Homes are submerged, and farmland has been severely damaged, as reported by state media and humanitarian agencies.
Video footage shows large parts of Sylhet city and Sunamganj town underwater due to the second wave of floods in less than a month, according to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
The flooding occurred because of continuous heavy rain and water flowing down from the hills near the border with India. This has caused four rivers to rise above their danger levels, as per information from the Water Development Board cited in local media last week.
In the worst-hit areas of Sylhet, villagers are navigating through waist-deep water, trying to protect their belongings from the muddy floodwaters by stacking them up.
Local media reports express concern for those stranded by the floods, who are now facing shortages of food and clean water.
According to BSS, nearly 964,000 people in Sylhet and 792,000 in Sunamganj have been affected by the flooding. Authorities have set up over 6,000 shelters to assist those displaced.
UNICEF highlighted that among the affected, 772,000 children urgently need help. More than 800 schools have been flooded, with 500 others serving as shelters.
UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, Sheldon Yett, emphasized the vulnerability of children to drowning, malnutrition, waterborne diseases, displacement trauma, and potential abuse in crowded shelters as floodwaters continue to rise.
BRAC, an international development organization, is providing emergency food and health support to hundreds of families in Sylhet and Sunamganj, where about 2.25 million people have been affected by flash floods. The floods have also left 12,000 people without electricity in the region.
Khondoker Golam Tawhid, who heads BRAC’s Disaster Risk Management Program, described the flooding as increasingly dangerous, causing significant losses to livelihoods, wildlife, and infrastructure. He emphasized that climate change is intensifying floods in Bangladesh, making them more severe and unpredictable, which poses challenges for families to stay safe and plan ahead.
Meanwhile, fish farmers have suffered substantial losses as floodwaters have destroyed thousands of farms and ponds, with local media reporting economic losses exceeding $11.4 million.
Bangladesh, densely populated and low-lying, frequently faces seasonal rains, floods, and cyclones. However, it is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of the human-caused climate crisis. Studies indicate that as extreme weather events worsen due to climate change, Bangladesh will experience increasingly severe humanitarian and economic consequences.
The recent heavy rains and floods occurred shortly after widespread flooding in late May caused by Tropical Cyclone Remal, affecting approximately 5 million people in Bangladesh and southern India.
Sultana Begum, Save the Children’s regional humanitarian advocacy and policy manager for Asia, expressed concern about the long-term impact on people’s lives, leaving them homeless and disrupting their access to education and healthcare. She emphasized that climate change is exacerbating these extreme weather events, highlighting the urgent need for action to protect vulnerable communities in India and Bangladesh.
Rohingya at Risk :
Heavy rains and landslides have affected southern Bangladesh, where approximately one million Rohingya Muslims live in the world’s largest refugee camps. These refugees fled persecution and violence in Myanmar.
According to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, at least 10 people, including three children, died due to mudslides and heavy rainfall in the refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar last Wednesday.
Hasan Sarwar, who heads the refugee cell for the ministry, told CNN that people from low-lying areas have been evacuated, with about 500 individuals relocated to other relief centers.
Many Rohingya refugees reside in shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin on hilly slopes, which are susceptible to strong winds, rain, and landslides.
Save the Children reported that around 8,000 people in 33 camps have been affected by heavy rains, which have destroyed or damaged over 1,000 shelters.
The organization warned that the monsoon season in Bangladesh has just begun and will last for the next two months, potentially bringing more heavy rains, landslides, and floods.
Similar severe weather has also hit Assam, India, impacting over 4 million people, according to Save the Children. At least 31 people have died from floods and landslides in Assam since May 29, as reported by local authorities.
There is some relief in sight for northeast Bangladesh as rainfall has eased and floodwaters are beginning to recede, local media stated. The Bangladesh Water Development Board mentioned that water levels in major rivers in the northeast were decreasing on Saturday, and this trend could continue if there are no further heavy rains.
The situation is expected to improve over the next 72 hours in various low-lying areas of northeastern Bangladesh, according to the board.
This article has been updated with additional details. Reporting by CNN’s Esha Mitra contributed to this story.