Floods reveal gaps in disaster preparedness

The devastating flash floods that battered Chattogram and Sylhet in recent weeks have emerged as a stark wake-up call for the government to rethink its disaster preparedness and long-term climate resilience.

Triggered by eight consecutive days of torrential rainfall and hill runoff, the floods extensively inundated homes, roads, croplands and fish farms across the south eastern and north eastern regions, claiming nearly 60 lives.

Landslides added to the devastation, while heavy rainfall also submerged large parts of the capital, exposing the country’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Government estimates show that around seven lakh people were affected in Chattogram alone, where losses have been estimated at Tk 287 crore.

Meanwhile, the pick monsoon has caused the water levels in major rivers across Barishal division risen above the danger mark, flooding all pontoons at the Ilisha ferry and launch terminal in Bhola which is causing severe hardship for passengers.

According to Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), several rivers in
the division are currently flowing above the danger levels.

Assistant director of BWDB in Barishal Tajul Islam said, “The Kirtankhola River in Barishal is flowing 21cm above the danger level.”

“Many rivers have cross their danger levels for the first time in the current monsoon,” he said.

Bhola River Port Officer Nirmal Kumar Roy said, “At least 30 launches carrying around 50,000 passengers have been affected for the rise of river water.”

While distributing relief among flood victims at Patenga in Chattogram on Friday, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that seven lakh people have been affected by the flood and the government is distributing relief assistance.

The minister also said instructions had been issued for the rapid repair of damaged roads, with work already underway on several routes.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed in Cox’s Bazar on Friday said the government was fully prepared to deal with the flood situation and that both government and private relief efforts were continuing in the affected areas.

“The government will take necessary measures to rehabilitate damaged roads, educational institutions, embankments and other infrastructure after the survey is completed,” he said, adding that affected farmers would also receive support to help them return to normal life quickly.

According to preliminary government estimates, the fisheries and livestock sectors in Chattogram Division suffered combined losses of Tk 287.25 crore, while 44,793 hectares of agricultural land were damaged, directly affecting 287,735 farmers.

The Department of Fisheries said floodwaters submerged 23,610 ponds and water bodies and 789 shrimp farms across 318 unions, causing an estimated loss of Tk 210.10 crore.

Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries in Chattogram Division, Md Anwar Hossain, said most of the affected people were small scale fish farmers whose livelihoods depended entirely on aquaculture.

The Department of Agricultural Extension said continuous heavy rainfall severely damaged Aus paddy, Aman seedbeds, summer vegetables, fruit orchards, chilli fields and betel leaf plantations in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali.

Of the damaged farmland, 24,596 hectares were in Noakhali, 15,716 hectares in Chattogram and 4,211 hectares in Cox’s Bazar.

Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension Mohammad Ali Jinnah said detailed field assessments were continuing.

The livestock sector also suffered losses exceeding Tk 77.15 crore across 191 unions in 45 upazilas of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari.

Director of the Divisional Livestock Office Md Atiar Rahman said, “The biggest challenges after the floods are preventing disease outbreaks and addressing shortages of animal feed.”

He said that farmers were being encouraged to cultivate Napier grass and use silage while limited feed assistance was being provided to the worst affected farms.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it had expanded emergency relief operations as one of the country’s worst monsoon disasters this year affected more than one million people across 10 districts, including over 52,000 Rohingya refugees and more than 13,000 persons with disabilities.

“Families have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones. This emergency underscores the growing human cost of climate related disasters and the urgent need to strengthen resilience before disasters strike,” said IOM Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Iori Kato.

The UN migration agency noted that Bangladesh remained highly exposed to climate related disasters.

In 2025, an estimated 4.96 million people were internally displaced by disasters, many of them for prolonged periods.

IOM stressed that stronger disaster risk reduction, resilient infrastructure and anticipatory action would be essential to protect lives and reduce future humanitarian losses.

Although floodwaters have receded in many affected areas, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Friday warned of fresh short term flooding between 19 and 23 July in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Kurigram as water levels in the Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers continue to rise.

Experts said that the latest disaster has underscored the urgent need for the government to strengthen flood forecasting, climate resilient infrastructure, urban drainage systems, embankment protection and community based preparedness as extreme weather events become more frequent under a changing climate.