Floods leave trail of death, economic ruin

The country is grappling with a mounting human and economic toll from days of heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides, with the death toll rising to 51 even as the destruction of farmland threatens livelihoods just weeks before the critical Aman rice planting season.

According to the latest situation report released by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief at 12:30pm on Sunday, 267,918 families remain stranded across seven flood-hit districts, while the total number of affected people has climbed to 1,022,963.

The toll has risen sharply from the ministry’s previous report on Saturday evening, which had recorded 43 deaths.Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Senior Information Officer at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, confirmed the figures to the media.

Human cost mounts Cox’s Bazar has borne the brunt of the fatalities, recording 28 deaths — including 15 local residents and 13 Rohingya refugees.

Chattogram followed with 13 deaths, while Bandarban recorded six, Rangamati three, and Moulvibazar one.

A further 39 people have been injured across the seven affected districts of Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Moulvibazar and Habiganj.

The ministry said the flooding has affected 58 upazilas, 386 unions and 11 municipalities, forcing authorities to open 1,131 emergency shelters, where 44,457 displaced people are currently staying.

Farmland underwater, losses mount ahead of Aman season
Beyond the human toll, the floods are inflicting significant economic damage on the agriculture sector at a particularly sensitive time.

With farmers across the country preparing to transplant Aman rice seedlings from next month, a week of heavy rain and flash floods triggered by upstream runoff has submerged seedbeds, standing crops and vegetable fields in several regions — raising the prospect of financial losses for thousands of farming families.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), around 28,610 hectares of cropland across 12 districts had been affected as of July 11, with Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and the three hill districts among the worst hit.

Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal, Director of the Field Services Wing at the DAE, said the preliminary assessment showed floodwaters had affected more than 28,000 hectares of agricultural land, including Aman seedbeds, Aush paddy, vegetables and other crops. Some betel leaf gardens in Cox’s Bazar have also been damaged.

“As floodwaters begin to recede, we will conduct a final assessment to determine the extent of the losses,” he said.

Chattogram has recorded the heaviest economic hit, with crops across 11,323 hectares affected. Of the 2,609 hectares where Aman seedbeds had been prepared this season, 565 hectares went underwater.

The floods also damaged 6,591 hectares of Aus paddy out of nearly 28,083 hectares under cultivation in the district, along with roughly 4,167 hectares of summer vegetables — crops that form a key part of local farm income.

In Cox’s Bazar, crops across 2,311 hectares have been affected, according to the DAE’s Chattogram regional office, which also covers Feni, Noakhali and Lakshmipur and is still compiling field-level loss data.

The three hill districts have not been spared either.

The DAE’s Rangamati office reported around 3,500 hectares of Aush paddy, vegetables and fruit gardens affected, while officials also reported smaller-scale crop damage in Sirajganj, Sunamganj and Habiganj — pointing to losses that stretch well beyond the worst-hit coastal and hill districts.

Experts warn of financial strain on farmers
Agricultural experts said the damage to Aman seedbeds could be partly offset by transporting seedlings from unaffected districts, though farmers are still expected to absorb direct financial losses.

Abu Noman Faruq Ahmmed, Professor of Plant Pathology at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, said sufficient Aman seedlings were available nationwide to meet demand in the flood-hit areas.

“I believe seedlings can be supplied from unaffected districts to areas where seedbeds have been damaged. If managed properly, there should not be a major shortage.

However, farmers will still suffer financial losses because of the flooding,” he said.

He added that while Aman rice is naturally adapted to wet conditions and can withstand three to four days of inundation without major damage, summer vegetables such as onions and chillies — higher-value cash crops for many smallholder farmers — are expected to suffer considerable losses, compounding the economic blow to rural households already grappling with displacement and damaged homes.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said the current spell of very heavy rainfall is expected to ease within the next one to two days, offering some respite as authorities begin to assess the full scale of the damage.