2024 floods of Bangladesh

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Bangladesh, being situated on the Brahmaputra River Delta (also known as the Ganges Delta) is a land of many rivers, and as a result is very prone to flooding. Due to being part of such a basin and being less than 5 meters above mean sea level, Bangladesh faces the cumulative effects of floods due to water flashing from nearby hills, the accumulation of the inflow of water from upstream catchments, and locally heavy rainfall enhanced by drainage congestion. Bangladesh faces this problem almost every year.

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2024 June Sylhet floods

Flooding from prolonged heavy rains on 18–19 June inundated the Haor region in Northeastern Bangladesh, with Sylhet experiencing 242 mm of rainfall, and the Sunamganj district experiencing 223 mm, exceeding the monthly average for both. [1]

August 21 Flash floods

On August 21, 2024, heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in Bangladesh. Several Bangladeshi media outlets attributed the flooding to the alleged opening of the sluice gates of the Dumbur Dam on the Gumti river in Tripura, India. The following day, Nahid Islam, the advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, also accused India of deliberately releasing water by opening the dam's gates. [2]

However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs refuted these allegations. Ratan Lal Nath, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Power, and Election in Tripura, clarified in a Facebook post on August 21 that the dam's gates had opened automatically due to unprecedented water levels in the reservoir. On August 22, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma contacted with Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to inform him that the gates had opened automatically due to the rising water levels. [2]

At least 1,800,000 people were in the affected area, inundating at least hundreds of villages in 6 districts. [3] [4] [5] On 23 August, it was reported that at least 23 people had died from flash flooding in eastern Bangladesh, and that over 4.5 million people were affected. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudburst</span> Short and very intense rain

A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of the precipitation corresponds to 25,000 metric tons per square kilometre. However, cloudbursts are infrequent as they occur only via orographic lift or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation. At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst. The term "cloudburst" arose from the notion that clouds were akin to water balloons and could burst, resulting in rapid precipitation. Though this idea has since been disproven, the term remains in use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floods in Bangladesh</span>

Bangladesh, being situated on the Brahmaputra River Delta is a land of many rivers, and as a result is very prone to flooding. Due to being part of such a basin and being less than 5 meters above mean sea level, Bangladesh faces the cumulative effects of floods due to water flashing from nearby hills, the accumulation of the inflow of water from upstream catchments, and locally heavy rainfall enhanced by drainage congestion. Bangladesh faces this problem almost every year. Coastal flooding, combined with the bursting of river banks is common, and severely affects the landscape and society of Bangladesh. 80% of Bangladesh is floodplain, and it has an extensive sea coastline, rendering the nation very much at risk of periodic widespread damage. Whilst more permanent defenses, strengthened with reinforced concrete, are being built, many embankments are composed purely of soil and turf and made by local farmers. Flooding normally occurs during the monsoon season from June to September. The convectional rainfall of the monsoon is added to by relief rainfall caused by the Himalayas. Meltwater from the Himalayas is also a significant input.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floods in the United States (2000–present)</span>

Floods in the United States (2000–present) is a list of flood events which were of significant impact to the country during the 21st century, since 2000. Floods are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, storm surge from hurricanes, and dam failure.

The 2007 Bihar flood occurred in August 2007 in the east Indian state of Bihar. It was described by the United Nations as the worst flood in the living memory of Bihar. Although annual floods are common in Bihar, heavier than usual rainfall during the monsoon season that year led to increasing water levels. By 3 August, the estimated death toll was 41 people, and 48 schoolgirls were marooned in a school in the Darbhanga district. By 8 August, the flooding had impacted an estimated 10 million people in Bihar. Army helicopters delivered food packets to residents, and 180 relief camps were established. By 10 August, aid workers in Bihar reported a dramatic increase in people with diarrhea and by 11 August, flood-related deaths were still occurring. The total number of deaths recorded in the 2007 Bihar floods was more than 1,300, the highest death toll in the state since the 1987 Bihar floods, in which more than 2,500 deaths were reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Aila</span> North Indian Ocean cyclone in 2009

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season</span>

The 2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between months of April and December, with the peak from May to November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Komen</span> North Indian cyclone in 2015

Cyclonic Storm Komen was an unusual tropical cyclone that originated near the southern coast of Bangladesh and later struck the same country while drifting over the northern Bay of Bengal. The second named storm of the 2015 season, Komen brought several days of heavy rainfall to Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India. It formed as a depression on July 26 over the Ganges delta and moved in a circular motion around the northern Bay of Bengal. Komen intensified into a 75 km/h (45 mph) cyclonic storm and moved ashore southeastern Bangladesh on July 30. The system turned westward over land and was last noted over eastern India on August 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 West Bengal floods</span>

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.

In mid-March 2019, monsoonal downpours caused widespread flooding and landslides across South Asia.

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.

Between 25–28 September 2019, Pune, India, and its division received a heavy amount of rainfall which caused flash flooding. In addition to people lost to these floods, other rain-related incidents such as collapsed compound walls of buildings have killed at least 21 people. Three NDRF teams along with the Army was deployed in the district for rescue operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season in India</span>

The effects of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season in India was considered one of the worst in decades, largely due to Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan. Throughout most of the year, a series of cyclones impacted the country, with the worst damage occurring in May, from Cyclone Amphan. The season started with Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan, which affected East India with very severe damages. 98 total people died from the storm. Approximately 1,167 km (725 mi) of power lines of varying voltages, 126,540 transformers, and 448 electrical substations were affected, leaving 3.4 million without power. Damage to the power grid reached ₹3.2 billion. Four people died in Odisha, two from collapsed objects, one due to drowning, and one from head trauma. Across the ten affected districts in Odisha, 4.4 million people were impacted in some way by the cyclone. At least 500 homes were destroyed and a further 15,000 were damaged. Nearly 4,000 livestock, primarily poultry, died. The cyclone was strongest at its northeast section. The next storm was a depression that did not affect India. Then Severe Cyclonic Storm Nisarga hit Maharashtra, with high damages. Nisarga caused 6 deaths and 16 injuries in the state. Over 5,033 ha of land were damaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 India–Bangladesh floods</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 South Africa floods</span>

There were floods in South Africa in February and March, then again in September and again in December 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 India floods</span> Monsoon floods in Assam and Eastern Bangladesh

Heavy rainfall during the 2024 monsoon season resulted in severe flooding and landslides across several regions of India. Rainfall in June caused significant flooding in Assam State in India.

Flooding from prolonged heavy rains on 18–19 June inundated the Haor region in Northeastern Bangladesh, with Sylhet experiencing 242 mm of rainfall, and the Sunamganj district experiencing 223 mm, exceeding the monthly average for both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 2024 Bangladesh floods</span> Ongoing sudden floods in Bangladesh

On August 21, 2024, heavy rainfall and the influx of water from India caused a flood situation in the eastern part of Bangladesh. Due to the influx of water from India and continuous heavy rainfall, Feni and Noakhali, along with ten other districts of the country, were inundated in one of the worst floods in recent history. Additionally, due to heavy rainfall and excessive rainfall, the lowlands of five districts in the north-east, south-east, and east of the country experienced a short-term flood situation due to the influx of water from upstream.

References

  1. "Bangladesh, India - Flash floods and landslides (DG ECHO Partners, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Media) (ECHO Daily Flash of 21 June 2024) - Bangladesh | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  2. 1 2 "Amid Rising Tensions, India Denies Opening Dam Gates, Attributes Bangladesh Floods to Heavy Downstream Rainfall". The Wire. 2024-08-22. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  3. "3 dead, 2 missing in flash floods; almost 3.6 million marooned". The Daily Star. 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  4. "Bangladesh floods maroon nearly three million people, kill two". Returns.
  5. "Tripura dam didn't cause Bangladesh floods: India". the hindu.
  6. "Hundreds of thousands stranded as floods hit India and Bangladesh". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-08-23.