On Friday 6 September 2024, there will be an emergency collection by South Bedford Islamic Cultural Centre and Masjid to help those affected by flooding in Bangladesh. Full Jummah collection(minus hadiya) will be donated to the Emergency Bangladesh Floods Appeal. Please donate generously and make dua so we can help as many people as possible in'sha'Allah.

Approximately 4.93 million people have been impacted by flooding as heavy Monsoon rains hit the northeastern and southeastern districts of Bangladesh and upstream in Tripura, India.

Many have been left stranded and seeking evacuation in shelters, with at least 18 left dead.

Around 944,548 people have been in stranded districts and 284,888 people are displaced due to ongoing flash floods caused by heavy rainfalls and upstream (Chief Advisor Office on 24th August at 12.00 pm). A total of 3,527 shelter centres have been opened to provide refuge for 284,888 affected people and 21,695 cattle.

According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, water levels in the Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai, Khowai, Muhuri, Feni, and Halda rivers were above the danger level, while the Muhuri River in Feni experienced its highest water levels in the past 40 years.

The floodwaters reached their peak on the 22nd August 2024, driven by heavy monsoon rains over the last week in south-eastern Bangladesh and upstream in Tripura, India. Without prior warning, authorities in Tripura made a sudden overnight decision to open a sluice gate of the Dumboor Reservoir, releasing a large volume of water downstream through the transboundary Gomti River. This caused severe flooding in 11 districts of Bangladesh, including Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Cumilla, Chandpur, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, and Rangamati.

Journalists in the affected districts have reported that the floodwaters have eroded roads, damaged embankments and bridges, submerged crop fields, and swept fish from ponds. The Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Comilla’s Chauddagram is submerged disrupting traffic. Highways connecting the Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali districts are completely submerged.

As of 28th August, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has announced that the flood situation across the country is expected to improve within the next 24 hours. Water levels in all rivers are receding, and no heavy rainfall is predicted in the coming days. While conditions are improving in Feni, Noakhali, Cumilla, Moulvibazar, Khagrachari, and Chattogram, the downstream areas of Noakhali and Laxmipur are experiencing continued inundation, affecting some newly impacted locations.

Impact on the community

The flash floods and subsequent waterlogging have disproportionately affected extremely poor households, particularly those displaced due to damage to their shelters. Most of the affected districts do not frequently experience such disasters, leaving many people with little to no preparedness or awareness of how to respond.

People are currently stranded in their homes and urgently need evacuation support, as thousands of households have been damaged, with fish and standing crops washed away. Many people are now living under the open sky, having lost their belongings to the disaster.