Bangladesh: Floods and Landslides - Jun 2024

On 18 and 19 June, heavy monsoon rainfall impacted the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, southeastern Bangladesh causing flash floods and 773 landslides incidents, resulting in casualties and damage. According to humanitarian partners, as of 19 June, 10 people died, including at least seven Rohingya refugees, almost 8,000 people have been affected across 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar and also around 1,200 shelters. Rising water and mudslides have damaged learning centers, health facilities, mosques, latrines, water points and bathing cubicles. Flooding from heavy rains has also affected 1.6 million people in other parts of the country. Nearly 30,000 people moved to shelter centres while many families were seen wandering in northeastern Bangladesh. Only in Sylhet district, almost 75 percent of areas, including 23 wards of the city and 1,548 villages in 13 Upazilas, have been flooded, directly affecting over 825,000 people. In Sunamganj district, flooding affected 560,000 people. (ECHO, 20 Jun 2024)

Continuous heavy rainfall inside the country over the past three days and onrushing water from upstream have flooded the northeast Haor region of Bangladesh. Sylhet and Sunamganj districts have experienced 242 mm and 223 mm of rainfall respectively already exceeded monthly average. Almost 75% of Sylhet district is now flooded, with more than half of the crops and paddy fields in the region submerged under water, likely to have lasting impacts on people’s food security. According to humanitarian partners, as of 19 June, 15 people died due to landslides. (ECHO, 21 Jun 2024)

Following the heavy rainfall and widespread floods brought by heavy rainfall, the amount of humanitarian impact increased in Bangladesh, particularly across the districts of Sylhet and Sunamganj in north-eastern Bangladesh and in Cox's Bazar area, south-eastern Bangladesh. According to CARE International, the death toll stands at ten while 260,000 people have been displaced and sheltered in more than 1,000 shelters and 3.74 million people have been affected. In addition, UNICEF reports that 772,000 children are at risk of drowning, malnutrition, and waterborne diseases. (ECHO, 1 Jul 2024)

Torrential rains and upstream flow resulted in the flooding of lower areas in 15 districts and left thousands of people stranded. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief indicated that around 2 million people in 15 districts were affected by the ongoing floods. The worst-affected districts are Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Rangpur, Jamalpur, Gaibandha, Feni, Rangamati, Bogra, Kurigram, Sirajganj, Lalmonirhat, Tangail and Cox’s Bazar. (ECHO, 8 Jul 2024)

Several parts of Bangladesh are still experiencing monsoon heavy rainfall, widespread floods and the overflow of several rivers, which have resulted in evacuations and damage. According to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), as of 7 July, in the northeast parts, particularly in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Netrokona, 2.5 million people have been affected. At the same time, in the northern Districts, including Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogura, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Tangail, and Munshigan, almost 750,000 people have been impacted and more than 12,000 evacuated. Furthermore, in the southeastern districts - Feni, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban, and Coxs Bazar - thousands of people have been affected by heavy rain and floods. (ECHO, 9 Jul 2024)

Flooding caused by recent monsoon rains and swollen rivers has engulfed multiple northern districts of Bangladesh, severely impacting low-lying areas, chars and riverine regions submerged since July 12. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) estimates that 5.13 million people face potential inundation in Jamuna River basin districts, including 1.5 million children aged 5-19 years and over 80,000 persons with disabilities. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) issued a heavy rainfall warning on 11 July, effective for 48 hours, covering these districts and neighboring Indian states. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna River has breached danger levels in Bogura, Gaibandha, Jamalpur and Kurigram, exacerbating the situation. The government's response includes TK 9,500,000 in cash relief, 3,700 tons of rice, and 13,500 food packs distributed across severely affected areas to provide urgent assistance to affected populations amidst this ongoing crisis. (OCHA, 16 Jul 2024)