![]() Road affected by flood in a village of Assam | |
Date | 23 May 2022 –present |
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Location | India (Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura): Bangladesh (Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Rajshahi divisions) |
Cause | Heavy monsoon rains |
Deaths | 318 |
Property damage | India:
Bangladesh:
|
![]() | This article needs to be updated.(July 2023) |
Beginning in May 2022, deadly floods hit northeastern India and Bangladesh. Over 9 million people in both countries have been affected, and around 300 people have been killed. [3] [4]
As of 22 June 2022 [update] , millions of people across the affected areas are reported to be in urgent need of food and medicine. [5]
Bangladesh and northeastern India, especially Assam, are mainly flat floodplains with numerous rivers flowing across them, the most prominent of which are the Ganga (called Padma in Bangladesh) and Brahmaputra (called Jamuna in Bangladesh). Other major river systems in the region include the Barak-Surma-Kushiyara river system, which flows through northeastern Bangladesh and the Barak Valley of Assam. Due to the large volumes of water coming from the Himalayas and the heavy monsoon rains, flooding is a regular occurrence in this region. At the time of the floods, a La Nina event was active in the Pacific meaning India and Bangladesh would receive heavier monsoon showers. Beginning in May 2022, deadly floods hit northeastern India and Bangladesh. Over 9 million people in both countries have been affected, and around 150 have been killed.[1][2]
2022 India–Bangladesh floods Date 23 May 2022 to present Location India (Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura): Bangladesh (Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Rajshahi divisions) Cause Heavy monsoon rains Deaths 250+ India: Assam: 170+ Other northeastern states: 30+ Bangladesh: 80+ Property damage India: 4,000+ villages 113,000 hectares of crop area Bangladesh:
53,000 hectares of crop area Website [1] Millions of people across the affected areas are reported to be in urgent need of food and medicine.[3] [6]
Around 40% of Assam's area is a flood plain, which is also roughly 10% of India's total flood-prone area. According to ISRO, nearly 30% of Assam's land area have been flooded at least once from 1998 to 2015. Heavy rainfall and settling of sediments plays a major role in rising the water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. Also, according to a survey, the Brahmaputra have widening yearly due to erosion, which also makes the flooding worse. [7]
![]() A satellite image time-lapse of the flood from 1 July 2022 to 16 July 2022 of Barpeta. | |
Date | April 6, 2022 to October 2022 |
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Deaths | 197 |
Property damage | ~ ₹1,000 crore, ~$ 1.2 Billion [8] Damage to 108,308 Hectares of Crop land. |
Assam Floods 2022 ( অসমীয়া (Assamese) : - অসমৰ বানপানী ২০২২) is one of the worst floods ever seen in Assam in the decade which lasted for almost 7 Months ( From April 2022 to October 2022 ) in a series of waves. [9]
The main causes for the floods are the Pre-Monsson rains which were started from 6 April 2022 across the state and the Monsoon Season there after. [10]
In total around 5.6 million people got affected, 4.7 million people got displaced, Crop land of 108,308 Hectares got damaged, 3,660,173 animals got affected and 32 districts in the state : - Bajali, Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Hojai, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong , Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar, Sonitpur, South Salmara, Tamulpur, Tinsukia and Udalguri got affected by the floods. . [11]
The first wave of the floods, caused by the excessive rains in May 2022, due to which flooding was seen in 27 districts. Soil erosion happened in large scale across various places in the state. Around 670,000 people got affected by the first wave. [12]
The second wave of the floods, which lasted from June 2022 to September 2022, due to "Monsoon season", caused the Brahmaputra, Barak and other major rivers in the state to overflow which eroded the river banks and also the houses present their. Around 1,100 houses got completely destroyed and 7,000 houses got partially damaged. Landslides were also observed in 6 districts: - Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Morigaon and Cachar. Over 90,000 people got affected in the second wave of the floods. [13]
The third wave of the floods, the last wave, in October 2022, caused the low-lying areas near the riverbanks to get flooded with rainwater and again extensive erosion was observed. Around 70,000 people got affected in the third wave. [14]
Several Japanese encephalitis cases were reported across the state during the floods which raised the fear of spread of Water Borne Diseases across the state. [15]
Assam's second largest city, Silchar, have been inundated for six days. [16]
Railway lines were also affected due to flooding and landslides. [17]
In response to the floods, the Union Government of India made an Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) which visited the flood hit areas two times, 26 May 2022 to 29 May 2022 and 30 June 2022 to 3 July 2022 respectively and conducted surveys to estimate the losses caused by the flood. The Union Government after that dispatched a financial aid of ₹648.48 crore to Assam Government to provide shelter to those who lost their homes in the floods. [18]
The Indian Arm Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force of Assam (SDRF) started conducting relief and rescue operations from June 2022. [19]
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) allocated 621,547 CHF (Swiss Franc) to the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) to conduct relief operations and distribute relief materials like food, water, mosquito nets, hygienic kits etc. In total, over 4,075 relief camps and 5,802 relief distribution centers were established. [20]
Another spurt of heavy rains hit the state in June. By 17 June 2022, it was reported that 20 people had been killed in floods and landslides in Assam and 18 in Meghalaya. [21] The hill stations of Cherrapunji and Mawsynram recorded their highest rainfall since the 1940s. [22] In Arunachal Pradesh, heavy rains and landslides have affected many districts across the state and have killed one and resulted in three missing. [23] [24]
In Tripura, flooding in several rivers has caused 12,000 people to leave their homes. [25]
As of 21 June, the death toll increased above 130 in northeast India. 18% of Kaziranga National Park have been submerged. More than 6 lakh people have been affected in Meghalaya.[ citation needed ]
18 people have died in Arunachal Pradesh. [26]
In August, at least 36 people died in floods in Himachal Pradesh. Four people were killed and 13 were missing in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand. [27]
In Bangladesh, floods from the Barak and Kushiyara rivers have mainly impacted the northeastern Sylhet and Sunamganj districts and as of 20 June have killed over 32 people. The floods have submerged over 53,000 hectares of agricultural land, damaging the crops. After the area was submerged in water, many fish could be seen floating from the flooded ponds and reservoirs. Due to the floods, the teaching activities of 640 educational institutions in Sylhet have been disrupted. In Sylhet district 55 unions were completely and 15 unions were partially flooded. [28] On 22 May, it was reported that the flood situation in Sylhet had not changed much. There is a shortage of clean water in the flood-hit areas. Dams in different areas are weakened by severe floods. [29] In June, at least 500 villages in different parts of Sylhet district were damaged and at least four lakh people were stranded. [30] Power supply has been cut off in Sylhet and Sunamganj districts. [31] As of June 18, the flood situation in the Sylhet region has further deteriorated. [32]
The Bangladesh Army is working to help with the second phase of flood situation of Sylhet in June. [33] Secondary School Certificate exams to be held in the country have been cancelled due to deteriorating flood situation. [34] Operations at Osmani International Airport and Sylhet railway station have been suspended due to flood waters entering the airport and station area. [35] [31]
In northern Bangladesh, the Teesta and Jamuna have both risen, flooding large parts of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts. [36]
On 20 June, Reuters reported that the flooding had stranded over nine million people, including 45 lakh in Bangladesh and 47 lakh in Assam. [37]
The 2007 Chittagong mudslides occurred in the port city of Chittagong in south-eastern Bangladesh. On 11 June 2007, heavy monsoon rainfall caused mudslides that engulfed slums around the hilly areas of the city. Experts had previously warned the increasing likelihood of landslides due to the Bangladesh government's failure in curbing the illegal hill cutting taking place in Chittagong.
The 2007 South Asian floods were a series of floods in India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. News Agencies, citing the Indian and Bangladeshi governments, place the death toll in excess of 2,000. By 3 August, approximately 20 million had been affected and by 10 August some 30 million people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal had been affected by flooding.
The 2008 Indian floods were a series of floods in various states of India during the 2008 monsoon season. The floods mostly affected the western regions of Maharashtra state and Andhra Pradesh as well as northern Bihar. In India, the monsoon season generally lasts from June to September.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Aila was the second named tropical cyclone of the 2009 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Warned by both the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RMSC) and Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Aila formed over a disturbance over the Bay of Bengal on May 23, 2009 and started to intensify and organize reaching sustained wind speeds of 110 kmh (70 mph). It was the worst natural disaster to affect Bangladesh since Cyclone Sidr in November 2007. A relatively strong tropical cyclone, it caused extensive damage in India and Bangladesh.
Islam is the second largest and fastest-growing religion in Assam. The Muslim population was approximately 10.68 million, constituting over 34.22% of the total population of the state as of the 2011 census, giving Assam, the second-largest Muslim percentage in the country after Jammu and Kashmir (state). After Jammu and Kashmir became Union Territory, Assam became the state with largest Muslim percentage in the country. Islam reached the region in the 13th century and Muslims are a majority in almost eleven districts of Assam and highly concentrated in four districts. In 2021, estimations have predicted that the Muslim population in the state has reached 40%, numbering 14 million, out of total population of 35 million.
This is a list of notable recorded floods that have occurred in India. Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The heaviest southwest, the Brahmaputra, and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas.
2000 India–Bangladesh floods, also known as the flood of 2000 occurred in the districts of West Bengal, India and the India-Bangladesh border districts of Khulna Division in 2000. In the sudden flood, people left their houses and took shelter in refuge camps.
Following heavy rain in July and August 2017, the Indian state of West Bengal was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused 50 deaths since 1 August and 8 deaths in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
Widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan from July through September 2017. More than 45 million people were affected by the floods, including 16 million children.
The Brahmaputra floods refers to a catastrophic flood event that occurred in 2012 along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries, as well as in subsequent years.
In mid-March 2019, monsoonal downpours caused widespread flooding and landslides across South Asia.
On 8 August 2019, due to heavy rainfall in the monsoon season, severe flood affected Kerala. As a security measure in the prevailing situation of heavy rains, the India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert in the 9 districts in Northern and Central Kerala, orange alert in 3 districts of Central Kerala, and yellow alert in the 2 districts of southern Kerala. Thousands of people have been evacuated to safer places and relief camps. A total of 121 people have died due to rain-related incidents as of 19 August 2019.
The 2019 Indian floods were a series of floods that affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to excessive rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. People died but many were rescued with the help of the Indian Navy.
2020 Assam floods refers to the significant flood event of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian north-eastern state of Assam and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial flooding started in May 2020 due to heavy rainfall affecting 30,000 and destroying crops across 5 districts. As of October 2020 the floods affected over five million people, claiming the lives of 123 people, with an additional 26 deaths due to landslides, 5474 villages were affected and over one hundred and fifty thousand people found refuge in relief camps.
Ajmal Ali Choudhury was a Pakistani politician and former Minister of Commerce of Pakistan. He was also a member of the 4th National Assembly of Pakistan. His close relationship with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and contributions during the 1947 Sylhet referendum led to him being known as the Sylhet's Quaid by his supporters. However, he became heavily criticised after supporting Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Bengali Hindus are the second-largest Hindu community just after Assamese Hindus in Assam. As per as estimation research, around 6–7.5 million Bengali Hindus live in Assam as of 2011, majority of whom live in Barak Valley and a significant population also resides in Brahmaputra Valley. The Bengali Hindus are mostly native to the Barak Valley region. Assam host the second-largest Bengali Hindu population in India after West Bengal.
From January to October 2022, excessive rainfall and widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It has become the region's deadliest floods since 2020, with over 4,700 people dead.
Flooding affected parts of South Asia since March of 2023, killing many and destroying buildings.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal was a moderately intense and deadly tropical cyclone that affected West Bengal and Bangladesh in May 2024. It was the first depression and the first cyclonic storm of the 2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, it turned into a cyclone from a deep depression on the evening of 25 May. The cyclone made landfall on West Bengal's Sundarban Delta at 8:30 pm on Saturday, 26 May as a severe cyclonic storm. The storm's speed was between 100 and 135 kilometres per hour during landfall in the coastal area. Remal killed at least 84 people including 65 in India and 19 in Bangladesh. About 30 million people in Bangladesh and West Bengal were affected by power outages.
Heavy rainfall during the 2024 monsoon season resulted in severe flooding and landslides across several regions of India and Bangladesh. Rainfall in June caused significant flooding in Eastern Bangladesh and Assam State in India.