The August flood -- which began early in the morning August 19, 2024, over parts of Bangladesh and eastern India caused by a sudden cloudburst -- is a reflection of climate change’s role in intensifying extreme weather events. It unleashed excessive rainfall over a short period of water flowing downstream from Tripura causing severe flooding across Comilla, Feni, and neighboring regions. The cloudburst extended over a 50 to 70km range, stretching from Tripura to Comilla and Feni, where the rainfall reached alarming levels.
Feni recorded a staggering 435mm of rain between August 19 and 22, while Comilla received 557mm and Noakhali saw 605mm during this period. Unlike the Teesta and Ganges river basins, where heavy rains take place 400 to 600km away and require days to reach Bangladesh, the Muhuri and Gumti rivers in Feni and Comilla are about 100km from Tripura, but the width is only 200 to 300m wide. This proximity allowed flash floods to inundate the sizable locality rapidly. Such sudden, intense rains have led to similar recent floods in other parts of Bangladesh like Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Bandarban.
The recent floods have caused severe damage to the livelihoods of the people, agriculture, and especially the fisheries sector in Comilla and Laksham, which is a significant contributor to the region's economy. Comilla ranks third in Bangladesh for fish production, with the district producing more than twice its own demand from its rivers, ponds, water bodies, and floodplains. According to initial estimates from the district fisheries office, the damage to the fisheries sector has reached approximately Tk400 crore, and fish farmers believe the losses could be doubled. In Laksham, the impact has been particularly severe. Senior fisheries officer Md Shawkat Ali reported that more than 4,000 fish farms, ponds, and 16 hatcheries have been flooded across one municipality and seven unions in the upazila.
Initially, the community thought the temporary fencing would be sufficient to keep their fish contained. However, as floodwaters continued to rise, the protective nets were submerged, and the roads and surrounding areas were also under water. This led to a significant loss of fish stocks, leaving community members in despair as they faced a disaster they had no prior experience managing. Mobilizing resources to fencing the project and providing substantial amounts of fish feed was daunting, especially given the scarcity of labour, funds, and other resources due to the disaster.
Yet, the community-based model enabled the pooling of resources, demonstrating the strength of unity in the face of adversity.
Despite the unprecedented scale of the flooding, responding to the threat, the leadership of each enterprise -- including Echapura, Rupali, Atakora-Mijiapara, and SP Floodplain Aquaculture Community Enterprises -- acted swiftly with the adaptive strategy under the guidance of Shikkha Shastha Unnayan Karzakram (SHISUK) and Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD). Given the physical labour required and the fast-approaching floodwaters, this response was no small task. Together, they mobilized community members to start fencing with nets in the lower areas of the aquaculture sites, areas at high risk of submersion due to the intense water flow. With strong community cooperation and dedication, everyone joined in this strenuous effort, working tirelessly to reinforce the protection of the vast community enterprise based aquaculture initiatives.
Recognizing the need to contain fish within the submerged areas, project leaders strategically place fish feed in the centre of each aquaculture project. This approach encouraged the fish to stay within the designated submerged zones, minimizing further losses. The community rallied around this plan, with the Isapura project taking the lead in implementing it, and the positive results soon inspired other enterprises to adopt the same approach.
The impact of this collective action was profound. Not only did it help keep a portion of the fish stock within the designated areas, but it also renewed the community’s hope and commitment to safeguard their assets. Feeling empowered and responsible, each member took on additional duties to protect the remaining fish from potential threats, including theft.
This experience reinforced the community's bond, highlighting the importance of collaboration and resilience. Laksham’s community-based floodplain aquaculture projects in partnership with SHISUK and BARD have been initiated since 2019 following the Daudkandi model. The institutional support and guidance played a critical role in transforming a near-hopeless situation into a shared victory, allowing the community to minimize losses.
While individual farm owners struggled with resource shortages and labour limitations which hindered proper netting and feeding strategies, the collective confidence and determination of the community ultimately allowed them to overcome these challenges, turning a disaster into an experience that strengthened their unity and resilience. The community’s journey from despair to recovery is a testament to the power of adaptive strategies and collective action, showing that even in the face of one of the most devastating floods in recent history, they could rebuild more robustly than before.
Raisul Safkat is a student of BIDS Graduate School of Economics and Ahmad Bhuiyan completed his MSS in Economics from University of Dhaka.