MORE than 1.4 million lives were upended overnight by flooding in 2024. Now, heavy monsoon rain has lashed Patuakhali and Cox鈥檚 Bazar while Feni faces trouble afresh. The River Muhuri has surged 137 centimetres above the danger level, triggering warnings and the opening of 131 shelters, 99 of them in Phulgazi alone. Breached embankments and forest dams have turned flood risk from a distant threat into an urgent reality. Officials downplay the flood, but this fragile calm feels risky. The issue is not whether flooding would continue, but whether we are ready to face them.
A low pressure over the Bay of Bengal keeps the downpour relentless, adding to the river height beyond danger levels, flooding coastal areas and forcing evacuation. Strong currents have damaged the Padma embankment near Majhirghat, adding urgency to an already dire situation.
Water has always been part of Bangladesh鈥檚 identity. With more than 230 rivers weaving through the land, nearly 70 per cent of the country is floodplain 鈥� the nature鈥檚 way of handling flows from the Himalayan rivers such as the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. Flooding is nothing new. It is as much a part of life as the soil beneath the feet. But today, the flooding that we face has taken on new forms, calling for changes in ways to deal with them.
Flooding no longer happens in only one shape. There is the slow, steady rise of water, drowning the northern plains during the monsoon season. There is then the sudden, fierce flash flooding, tearing through the Chittagong Hill Tracts. In cities, a brief but heavy rain can turn roads into rivers, flooding already clogged drains. Along the coast, saline tidal surges ruin once-fertile cropland. The problems are no longer isolated. A single storm can now cause landslide in Bandarban, flood wetland in Sunamganj and bring the capital to a standstill 鈥� all at the same time.
The recent warnings of landslide in Khagrachhari and Rangamati are a grim reminder of how vulnerable hill communities are. Despite administration鈥檚 calls for relocation, many still live in high-risk zones, with more than 20,000 people in Rangamati living near 31 identified landslide-prone spots. The fear is palpable and justified.
But we cannot blame nature alone. Much of this vulnerability is our own making. The Muhuri and the Buriganga are strangled by illegal structures and unchecked development. Wetland in Dhaka and Chittagong have been paved over with concrete. Forests on the hills have been cut down, leaving the soil exposed and ready to be washed away with the first heavy rainfall. And, without proper urban planning, every downpour becomes a threat rather than water merely falling from the sky.
With heavy rainfall this July, the official forecast remains calm. Meteorologists note that the rainfall, intense though, is concentrated in southern and western regions while the upstream catchments in India and Nepal remain relatively dry. Major rivers such as the Brahmaputra, the Jamuna, the Padma and the Kushiyara are flowing below danger levels. This statistical calm should not, however, push us into a strategic paralysis.
Recent developments challenge this calm. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre reports that the Ganges and the Padma are rising gradually although they remain below danger marks. Meanwhile, tidal activities in the coastal regions of Barishal, Khulna, and Chattogram continue to exacerbate water stagnation concerns. The compounded challenges suggest that flood risk is multifaceted and dynamic, requiring constant vigilance.
Urban centres such as Chittagong and Dhaka have not been spared either. In Chittagong city, recent rainfall has caused water stagnation in low-lying areas such as Agrabad and Panchlaish, disrupting life and traffic. Dhaka recorded 45 millimetres of rainfall in 24 hours, prompting the south city authorities to activate emergency response teams and set up control rooms to mitigate risks. Barishal and Bhola have experienced severe flooding, with parts of urban centres having been under two-to-three feet high water, disrupting livelihood and public services.
Bangladesh is not alone in this battle. In recent months, flooding happened in Himachal Pradesh in India, in Punjab in Pakistan and even in Texas in the United States. As climate change accelerates, flooding is no longer a regional issue. It is a global warning. And if countries with far greater infrastructure and financial muscle struggle, Bangladesh, already on the climate frontline, must act now.
Flooding in Bangladesh stems from a mix of geography, climate change and developmental missteps. Rising sea levels, erratic rainfall and glacial melting amplify flood risks. At the same time, local mismanagement worsen things. River encroachment restricts natural water flow. Deforestation, especially in hill districts, accelerates runoff and landslide. And, unplanned urban sprawl has replaced wetland with shopping malls and concrete jungles that repel water.
The seasonal intensity of the monsoon from June to September is something we have always known of. The only difference is how much rainfall happens and how unpredictable it becomes. In July, Feni had a rainfall reaching 222 millimetres in a single day, well above what is normal. Combined with poor drainage systems in both cities and rural areas, it is easy to understand why even a moderate rainfall can quickly turn into serious problems.
Flooding is much more than just environmental events. It becomes a humanitarian crisis, economic shock and a public health emergency all at once. Crops are destroyed, livestock drown and roads and bridges are swept away. Schools are closed, children miss weeks of learning and families sink deeper into poverty. Diseases such as cholera, malaria and diarrhoea follow the floodwater closely, spreading quickly. In a few hours, the livelihood can be lost.
The economic toll is huge. Small and medium businesses face major disruption in transport and supply chains. The overall economic growth slows down. And with each flood, money that could have been spent on long-term development is used on rebuilding and recovery. Flooding is a serious setback for progress.
Bangladesh has made some important progress. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre uses weather and water data to issue early warnings sometimes up to five days ahead. Satellite images, river gauges and community radio help to spread the alerts far and wide. But warnings only matter if people and authorities act on them and, unfortunately, disaster preparedness still falls short in many places.
The system that classifies flooding as alert level, normal flood or severe flood makes sense on paper. However, embankments often breach not because of flooding beyond danger levels but because of poor maintenance and corruption. Training at the community level happens only sporadically. Emergency supplies are often not enough. And local officials frequently struggle to coordinate effectively when disaster strikes.
Bangladesh urgently needs a strong, clear and enforceable national flood management strategy that goes far beyond quick-fixes. The government needs to go for regular and thorough dredging of rivers and solid reinforcement of embankments in all flood-prone areas, instead of just patching them up after flooding. Smart drainage systems should be put in place in large cities such as Dhaka and Chattogram, equipped with real-time monitoring. Rainwater should be harvested and retention ponds across both urban and rural areas should be maintained to soak up excess water and recharge underground aquifers. Structures should be made flood-resilient with raised foundations, strong materials and clear escape routes. More trees should be planted in the hills and wetland should be restored to naturally absorb floodwater. Land use laws should be enforced to stop illegal building along river banks and on floodplains. There should be an emphasis on education and awareness programmes, especially in schools, so that everyone grows up knowing how to stay safe and prepare for flooding.
Flood-prone countries are leveraging technology in transformative ways. Japan has introduced super levees, smart floodgates and floating infrastructure. In Bangladesh, similar technology can be put to use through localised innovation and international collaboration. Satellite-based forecasting, drones for emergency delivery and even climate-resilient crops that withstand submersion must be part of the devices. The use of predictive models can also enhance early warning accuracy. We must open the door to the private sector and foster partnerships with development agencies, climate funds as well as neighbours for both funding and expertise.
The lesson from the 2024 flooding is painfully clear: Bangladesh cannot afford to treat flooding as a seasonal inevitability. It is a chronic national emergency that demands systemic, round-the-year action. The solutions exist, but they require will, public pressure and a shift from reactive charity to proactive resilience. With the monsoon season growing more erratic and intense because of climate change, we are fast approaching a point of no return. Flooding may be part of the geography, but devastation does not have to the destiny. If we choose planning over procrastination, science over superstition and foresight over fatalism, we can build a Bangladesh where the next flooding finds us prepared.
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Nafew Sajed Joy is a writer and听researcher.
