Attachments
To date, this Emergency Appeal, which seeks CHF 12,500,000, is 22 per cent funded. As per the Multi-Sectoral Household Assessment done by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) with the support of the IFRC in July 2024, further funding contributions are needed to continue providing humanitarian assistance in sectors such as shelter, livelihood, health, water, sanitation and hygiene for the affected population, whom the situation has worsened due to the recent monsoon floodings
Description of the crisis
On 26 May 2024, Cyclone Remal made landfall near the Mongla and Khepupara coasts in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), the highest recorded wind speed was 111 kilometres/hour (km/h) at 1:30 AM on 27 May 2024 (local time) in Khepupara, located in the coastal district of Patuakhali. The storm surge, accompanied by extremely heavy rainfall, caused flooding of 5 to 8 feet in the coastal districts.
According to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), about 4.6 million people were affected by Cyclone Remal across 19 districts, and 16 people died in seven districts. Approximately 807,023 people were evacuated to 9,424 evacuation shelters across these 19 districts.
As per the Needs Assessment Working Group’s (NAWG)
Rapid Assessment Report, over 173,000 houses were damaged, including 40,338 that were completely uninhabitable. About 80,591 hectares of cultivable land were inundated. Additionally, 50,000 fish enclosures, 34,000 ponds, and 4,000 crab farms were severely flooded, disrupting food supply chains and exacerbating livelihoods and food insecurity. More than 530,00 farmers have been affected, with damage to crops valued at BDT 10,595 million (USD 90.7 million).
Cyclone Remal severely impacted Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) conditions. Initial data from the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) indicated that 20,260 water points were damaged, including 1,536 that were fully destroyed. Additionally, 134,269 latrines were damaged, with 24,407 rendered completely unusable across the eight affected districts. WASH services at 550 healthcare facilities and 1,175 shelters (including schools) were also damaged.
The tropical storm, storm surge, and embankment collapse caused increased salinity, flooding, and contamination of water sources such as ponds. Consequently, people face a higher risk of contracting waterborne illnesses due to insufficient sanitation and access to clean drinking water. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a 20-bed hospital in Kuakata and 20 community clinics in the Barishal and Khulna divisions sustained damage.
In addition to responding to Cyclone Remal, since June 2024, Bangladesh has experienced multiple spells of flooding in its northern regions due to heavy rainfall and water inflow from upstream countries, Nepal and India, causing floods and landslides in numerous districts. In the northeast, particularly in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, and Habiganj districts, flooding affected 3.7 million people, as per the Humanitarian Response Plan for Cyclone Remal and Monsoon Floods in Bangladesh (June-December 2024) by the UN. The northern parts, particularly Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogura, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Tangail, and Munshiganj, have also become inundated. According to the NAWG report dated 11 July 2024, an estimated 5.13 million people are part of the potentially inundated exposed population in the northern region (Jamuna River Basin). More than 250 staff and volunteers of BDRCS have been responding to the floods through early warning messaging, evacuation, distributing clean drinking water and jerry cans, mobilizing two mobile medical teams, distributing dry food, providing awareness, and conducting assessments.
In addition to the northeastern and northern floods, since 21 August 2024, southeastern Bangladesh has been experiencing severe flooding due to heavy rainfall triggered by an active monsoon and a low-pressure area. As a result, 5,822,734 people were affected in 11 districts: Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram, Khagrachari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar,
Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur, and Cox’s Bazar. According to the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre (NDRCC) report dated 3 September 2024, 71 fatalities (45 men, seven women, and 19 children) were recorded across the affected districts, while 582,155 families remain stranded in floodwaters. A total of 4,003 shelters have been set up, accommodating 540,510 people and 39,531 livestock. The flooding has caused extensive damage, submerging 311,419 hectares of land, and destroying 6,542 kilometres of roads and 1,066 bridges and culverts, disrupting key transportation links, including road and rail connections between Dhaka and Chattogram. As per the NAWG report, USD 34 million in livestock and USD 121.6 million in fisheries were lost, while 296,852 hectares of agricultural land, 162,823 water points, and 295,689 latrines were damaged.
Additionally, over 7,000 schools have been forced to close, impacting approximately 175,000 primary students. Power outages and connectivity issues have further complicated communication and coordination efforts. As water levels begin to recede, outbreaks of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases are compounding the challenges faced by flood-affected communities.
Considering the severity of the flooding, the BDRCS activated a contingency plan and emergency operations center and requested IFRC to launch an Emergency Appeal. Combining all recent flood responses, a total of CHF 7.5 million IFRC-wide Emergency Appeal was launched for one year to assist 400,000 flood-affected people. More than 100 staff and 1,660 volunteers of BDRCS have been responding to the floods through early warning messaging, evacuation, distributing clean drinking water and jerry cans using seven mobile water purification units, mobilizing seven mobile medical teams, distributing dry and cooked food, food parcels, hygiene parcels, tarpaulins, shelter toolkits, kitchen sets, cholera salines, and providing awareness and conducting assessments.