Four things you need to know about the floods in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has an annual monsoon season, and some amount of flooding is expected. However, Cyclone Remal at the end of May brought heavy rains that severely affected eight districts. The effect of this cyclone on India caused further damage as rivers along the border swelled, resulting in a second spell of floods. Overall, this flooding affected 30 per cent of the country within two months.  

Ongoing rain throughout the monsoon season threatens to further flood communities in areas where the water levels have already increased.  

Throughout parts of the country, roads have been submerged and homes, schools, and government offices have been flooded. Many people have been forced to leave their homes, and communities hit hardest are at risk of being cut off from essential supplies.  

Significant flooding occurred in Cox’s Bazar in the middle of June, where Concern is working to provide crucial support to the Rohingya refugee community. Many of these families live in hillside shelters built from bamboo and tarpaulin, leaving them vulnerable to strong winds and rain, and at a greater risk of facing landslides.  

Manish Kumar Agrawal, Concern's Country Director in Bangladesh, says that urgent humanitarian support is needed.  

“The flooding impact in terms of loss and damage is now of great concern,” Manish says. “Particularly agriculture crop loss, damaged shelter and communication, education, healthcare infrastructure, as well as water sanitation facilities for the affected population in Bangladesh.” 

"Such frequent and intense weather events are increasing the vulnerability of the communities, especially women and children, people with disabilities and the elderly, and are in turn negatively affecting efforts to build community resilience.” 

The economic repercussions of the flooding are profound, with substantial losses reported in crops, livestock, and other income-generating activities. Approximately twenty per cent of farmland has been submerged, resulting in significant crop losses and devastating the agricultural sector, a primary source of income for many families. 

It is estimated that almost 8 million women, more than 6.5 million children and adolescents, and more than 200,000 people with disabilities are being impacted by the destructive torrents of rain. 

Monsoon season occurs regularly in Bangladesh between the months of June to October, but climate change is making the yearly rains more erratic and difficult to predict.  

“While monsoon rains vary in their severity in Bangladesh, climate change has critically contributed to the intensity of this year’s rains,” Manish says.  

Warmer air holds more moisture, which means that once the monsoon hits it drops a lot of rain quickly, leaving areas more prone to sudden and severe flooding. 

Additionally, this type of uneven rainfall can mean that while one area receives too much rain and is flooded, another can receive no rain and instead enter a period of drought, harming people, crops, and livestock.  

Since 2017, Concern has been responding to the Rohingya crisis by working in Cox’s Bazar to support hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees with both frontline and ongoing support, including protection, livelihood, nutrition, and healthcare services.  

We also respond to emergencies at large across the country. Through our consortium project SUFAL, Concern has been supporting people affected by floods in the following ways: 

• Providing emergency cash assistance 
• Providing early warnings of flash flooding to communities  
• Providing boats to evacuate those affected by floods  

We are actively coordinating with communities and other NGOs to monitor, assess, and respond to flooding.