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What happened, where and when?
Continuous heavy rainfall inside the country and in the adjoining northeastern Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya since 18 June 2024 has caused upstream water to rush in, leading to flooding in the northeast Haor region of Bangladesh. A a Haor is a wetland ecosystem in the northeastern part of Bangladesh, characterized by bowl or saucer-shaped shallow depressions, also known as backswamps.
Heavy monsoon rainfall on 18 and 19 June caused flash floods and 773 landslide incidents in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, southeastern Bangladesh, resulting in casualties and damage. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) issued a heavy rainfall warning (greater than 89 mm/24 hrs) on 19 June 2024 for the next 72 hours, starting from 9:00 AM, affecting the Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet regions.
On 18 June 2024, the Surma River was flowing 131 cm above the danger level at the Kanaighat sub-district in Sylhet, 25 cm above at Sylhet city, 160 cm above at the Chhatak sub-district in Sunamganj, 64 cm above at the town point in Sunamganj, and 3 cm above at the Dirai sub-district. Concurrently, the Kushiara River was flowing 85 cm above the danger level at the Fenchuganj sub-district and 39 cm above at the Zakiganj sub-district. At Sarighat in the Jaintapur sub-district and the Gowainghat sub-district, the Sari-Gowain River in Sylhet was flowing 7 cm and 30 cm above the danger level, respectively.
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), 333 mm of rain fell in Lalakhal, Sylhet, 327 mm in Jaflong, 191 mm in Kanaighat, 191 mm in Zakiganj, 100 mm in Sylhet city, 159 mm in Laurer Garh, Sunamganj, and 95 mm in Sunamganj city and the Chhatak sub-district in the last 24 hours (18 June 2024). Additionally, rainfall totals of 398 mm, 121 mm, and 114 mm were reported in India's Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, Dhubri, and Goalpara, Assam. Communications have been disrupted in Companiganj, Gowainghat, and Kanaighat, Sylhet, as well as in Chhatak, Dowarabazar, Biswambharpur, and the Sadar sub-district in Sunamganj, due to the submergence of most roads.
The Sylhet district administration reports that about 371,000 people are stranded and 864 villages have flooded. Approximately 4,000 individuals have relocated to shelter centers. The administration has prohibited travel to all tourist destinations, including Bichnakandi, Sadapathar, Jaflong, and Ratargul, considering the current circumstances.
On 20 June 2024, 'The Daily Star' newspaper reported that nearly 30,000 people had to relocate to shelter centers due to flooding that affected over 1.6 million people. Many elderly individuals and families with children fled their submerged homes, seeking refuge on roadsides with only plastic sheets for protection from the rain.