With six rivers already flowing above danger level and heavy rainfall forecast to continue for at least another two days, Bangladesh is bracing for a worsening flood emergency as rising waters continue to inundate districts across the southeast and northeast.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) warned on Friday that river levels could rise further over the next 24 hours because of heavy rainfall forecast in Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal, while the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said an active monsoon is likely to bring heavy to very heavy rain across large parts of the country through the weekend.
The deteriorating weather has already left hundreds of thousands of people stranded, submerged homes and cropland, disrupted rail and road transport, triggered landslides in the hill districts and intensified riverbank erosion in northern Bangladesh.
The worst-hit district remains Cox’s Bazar, where more than 150,000 people have been affected and over 14,000 are sheltering in 640 cyclone and flood shelters.
Floodwaters rose again in several areas on Friday, leaving around 30,000 families marooned in more than 100 villages in Chakaria alone.
The disaster turned fatal when a 12-year-old girl died after a rescue boat capsized while carrying residents to safety.
In Chittagong, three consecutive days of torrential rain left large parts of the city under knee- to waist-deep water, disrupting businesses, schools and transport.
Although water has begun receding in some neighbourhoods, train services between Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar remain suspended after railway tracks were submerged.
Thousands of low-income families continued to struggle as floodwater remained inside homes and shops.
Rangamati also remained under pressure as upstream runoff pushed the water level of Kaptai Lake to 90.31 feet, well above its seasonal operating level.
More than 3,500 people are staying in shelters across the district.
The higher water level, however, enabled the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant to resume operation of all five generating units, producing 179 megawatts of electricity.
In Sunamganj, the Kushiyara River was flowing above the danger level, threatening low-lying areas, while flooding at Benapole Land Port damaged imported goods worth crores of taka and disrupted operations.
In Gaibandha and Bogra, riverbank erosion accelerated, washing away farmland, homes and crops and forcing dozens of families to relocate.
According to the FFWC, the Sangu, Matamuhuri, Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai and Khowai rivers are now flowing above danger level at one or more monitoring points, with additional upstream rainfall likely to aggravate the situation.
The BMD said 329 millimetres of rainfall was recorded at Ambagan in Chittagong during the past 24 hours, the highest in the country, followed by 300mm in Kutubdia, 249mm in Chittagong city, 235mm in Bandarban, 130mm in Rangamati and 125mm in Cox’s Bazar.
Meteorologists warned that saturated soil has significantly increased the risk of fresh landslides in the hill districts.
Officials urged residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to remain alert as the active monsoon shows little sign of weakening, warning that the coming two days could determine whether the current emergency develops into a wider flood crisis.
