The death toll from this season's floods in the country rose to 140 with another death in Sylhet in 24 hours till Thursday morning. The total deaths were recorded from May 17 to August 18, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the deceased, 79 were from Sylhet, 43 from Mymensingh, 17 from Rangpur and one from Dhaka division. Also read: Flood death toll rises to 139 One hundred and eight people drowned in floodwaters, 19 died by lightning strikes, three from snake bites, one from diarrhoea, and nine others due to other reasons. Around 33,994 people were hit by floods during the same period. Thirty-seven upazilas, including 33 in Sylhet, three in Rangpur and one in Chattogram divisions were affected by floods. Also read: Vast areas in Paikgachha of Khulna flooded as dam collapses Sylhet, Sunamganj and Moulvibazar were the worst-hit districts, with 13, 11 and five upazilas affected by floods respectively.

An embankment built to prevent erosion by the Kopotakkho river in Charmukha area under Khulna’s Koyra upazila has been ruined due to increased water pressure. The embankment started to break on Sunday noon. The locals are fearing that vast areas will be inundated due to high tide if the embankment isn’t repaired in due time. According to Osman Gani, a member of the local ward, a road on one side of the Charmukha canal went into the riverbed around 4:00am. “The road was in a precarious condition for a long time. Many other roads and houses have started to go extinct due to increased flow of the Kopotakkho river. We’re trying to repair the dam on our own initiative. Large parts of the area will be inundated if we can’t repair the dam within the next one to two hours,” Osman said. Read: Onrush of upstream water threatens Chandpur town protection embankment

Civil society organisations (CSOs) Monday demanded that post-flood rehabilitation programmes, especially in the haor regions, be implemented through local organisations. "In any disaster, the local people and organisations are the first to stand beside the people hit by any disaster. So, the capacity of local organisations should be increased; the post-flood rehabilitation activities in the haor regions must be implemented by them," they said at an online press conference organised by BDCSO process, a network of about 700 national and local CSOs and NGOs. Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of BDCSO Sylhet division, presided over the press conference moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, national coordinator of BDCSO Process. BDCSO Sylhet Division President Tofazzal Sohel said several organisations, including the United Nations, had surveyed the impact of the recent floods. "In addition to assessing the damage, they also verified the need for post-flood rehabilitation." Also Read: Flood in Bangladesh: Death toll stands at 107 "It is really good if international organisations stand beside the people along with the government. But we are, as always, inspired by the role of local people and local organisations during floods. Recognising this role, we believe, the UN agencies and INGOs should fund the implementation of post-flood rehabilitation programmes through local organisations as they understand the needs of local people best, and they can be more effective in implementing the programmes." Rezaul said the role of international organisations is important, but they should limit their activities to fundraising, technical assistance and monitoring. "Field-level activities should be implemented by local organisations and the whole process should be coordinated by the government." AWARD Executive Director Abul Kalam Azad, ADAB Sylhet Division Coordinator Babul Akhter, ADAB Sylhet District President ATM Badrul Islam, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Professor Zahirul Haque Shakil, and Disaster expert and writer Gowhar Naeem Wara also spoke. Azad said: "We have been working with the local people for a long time. So, if any programme is implemented through us, it is more likely to be sustainable." Zahirul said: "I saw a person spending Tk40,000 to get relief of Tk10,000 taka. He could get assistance of Tk50,000, had the relief been distributed through a local organisation." Wara said it is now very important to determine what is needed for local rehabilitation. "This demand needs to be verified by the local agencies working in the field."

Farmers in Kurigram have been hugely hit, with the recent floods wrecking havoc on their crops. Agriculture is one of the mainstays of Bangladesh's booming economy, but the devastation to crops in the northern district has put the livelihoods of many farmers on the brink. In fact, the losses in the agriculture sector caused by the floods in Kurigram has been estimated at a whopping Tk 127.54 crore, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).  According to the DAE, a total of 80,035 cultivators have been affected by the floods, with 15,851 hectares of cropland in the district being partially or fully destroyed in the natural calamity. This season, the farmers of the district cultivated 34,310 hectares of agricultural land. But due to the flash floods and heavy downpour, around 15,851 hectares have been inundated. Of these, 7,351 hectares have been damaged fully during the fortnight-long floods. Read Also: Thousands still marooned by floods in Savar Apart from this, around 8,427 hectares of cropland have been damaged partially by the floodwaters. As a result, the production of a total of 35,055 metric tonnes of crops has been affected, which is 25.57% of the total crops. The Aush paddy and jute have been affected the most, followed by vegetables. Floodwaters have damaged 9,521 hectares of cultivated jute land of a total of 16,577 hectares, 3,580 hectares of Aush paddy of a total of 8,480 hectares, and 1,161 hectares of vegetables of 4,034 hectares of cultivated land in Kurigram. Read Also: Food, work shortage hits Kurigram flood victims hard The damaged crops in the district include Aman seedbed, jute, Aush paddy, sesame, vegetables, peanuts, banana, corn, chili, ginger, turmeric, onion, sugarcane and lentil. Shamsul Alam, a vegetable grower of Chararpar village under Kurigram sadar upazila, said, “I invested Tk 50,000 from my own pocket and borrowed Tk 30,000 from an NGO. Also, I borrowed Tk 20,000 from a local lender at a high rate of interest. I have suffered huge losses." Another farmer, Jabbar Ali of the same village, said, “We hoped to make big bucks this year. But the flash floods washed away our dreams.”   Contacted, Md Abdur Rashid, deputy director of Kurigram DEA, said, “We have informed the higher authorities after estimating the losses. The affected farmers will be brought under incentive packages." "We have already received an allocation to bring 7,000 farmers under incentives which will help them recover some amount of losses," he added.

As the waters started receding following Sylhet division's worst flood in living memory, the disastrous damage it inflicted also became evident, along with the challenge any recovery effort will face in the days ahead. The death toll from the third flash flood of the year in Sylhet reached 52 till Sunday morning (from May 17), according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), but this is almost certainly an underestimate, with local sources claiming the toll to be much higher. Many areas haven't even been accessed, where the authorities have no idea of casualties. According to Sylhet District administration, around 22 lakh people from four lakh families are bearing the brunt of this terrible disaster while 80 percent of the area still remains under water as of Sunday. “Part of Sylhet City Corporation, all the 13 upazilas and five municipalities and 94 unions were affected in the district. The exact number of people facing the damages will be 21,87,232 (21 lakh 87 thousand 232)of 4,16,819 families (4 lakh 16 thousand 819),” said Ahsanul Alam, Assistant Commissioner of District Administration. He said 22,450 houses and 28,945 hectares of cropland have been damaged according to official estimation so far. However, locals are claiming the damage is vaster and the recovery will be long. Also read: Flood situation worsens in parts of Sylhet Bearing the brunt Tara Mia, 70, from Janigaon village, has not seen such a terrible flood in his entire life. “On June 16, when all of a sudden water started entering my house I took shelter near a high area beside Sylhet-Sunamganj highway and remained there since. None cares about us though, people come and speed away with their vehicles as we sit helplessly beside the road,” he said. Khushbu Begum, 60, from the same village said, ”Don’t know how we will get back to our homes after flood water lowers as it is filled with soil now.” Husnahar Banu, 35, who took shelter in a ramshackle cottage beside the highway with her six children, said,”We took refuge here 14 days ago and are not sure how many days we will need to spend on the roads. There is still water inside the home that we left.” Fifty-five-year-old Kahar Mia was more worried about his cattle as some of them had already washed away. “We can survive by eating flattened or parched rice but the helpless animals might die without their food,” he said. Akkas Ali, from Jaikar Kandi village in Kandigaon union, returned home from the shelter center on Saturday evening and broke down in tears as nothing but the foundation remained. “The floodwater took away everything but the clothes on our bodies. We are eating the relief provided by people. How will we build everything back now?” he wondered aloud as he was unsure how to bring back his family from the shelter as there is no home. Tahera Begum from Moiar Char village said,”For five days I took shelter in Badaghat High School and as I returned home found the toilet was broken and everything in the house was damaged. Repairing everything is the biggest challenge for everyone as the flood has snatched our income sources too."

Flood claimed nine more lives in different parts of the country in 24 hours till Saturday morning, raising the total fatalities to 82. Five of them died in Mymensingh division and four in Sylhet division, according to the Directorate general of Health services (DGHS). Among the deceased, seven have died by drowning in floodwater and one from snake biting and another died of other reasons. Read: Govt allocates rice, cash, food for flood-hit 3 districts The total deaths were recorded from May 17 to June 25. Among a total of 70 flood-affected upazilas, 33 upazilas are in Sylhet division, 16 in Rangpur division, 20 in Mymensingh division and one in Chattogram division. Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kurigram are the worst-hit districts where 13, 11, 10 and 9 upazilas were affected by flood respectively. A total of 1,944 flood shelters have been opened, while 2,051 medical teams are working to provide various health services to the flood-affected people.  

A total of 24 people have died due to flood in different parts of the country in 24 hours till Thursday morning, raising the total fatalities to 68. Of them, 23 are from Sylhet division alone, according to the Directorate general of Health services (DGHS). Among the deceased, 20 people have died by drowning in floodwater, two died in lightning strike and one in diarrhoea. Also read: A week on, flood-hit people of Kurigram cry for relief The deaths were recorded from  May 17 to June 23. Among a total of 185 flood-affected upazilas, 29 upazilas are in Sylhet division, 16 in Rangpur division, 19 in Mymensingh division and one in Chattogram division. Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kurigram are the worst-hit districts where 13, 11, 10 and 9 upazilas were affected by flood respectively. Also read: Cellular coverage restored at 1,166 sites in flood-hit districts A total of 872 flood shelters have been opened, while 2,006 medical teams are working  to provide various health services to the flood-affected people.

The flood situation in six upazilas of Sylhet worsened Wednesday as incessant rainfall and an onrush of water from upstream kept pounding the region for the last few days, leaving its major rivers in spate.   More than 1 lakh people of Zakiganj, Fenchuganj, Beani Bazar, Osmaninagar, Balaganj, and Gopalganj were left stranded due to flooding. However, the water levels remained unchanged in the rivers Surma, Dholai, Piyain, and Luva and the flood situation on their banks improved slightly.  Meanwhile, Bangladesh army, navy, coast guard, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh are working round the clock to rescue the flood-hit people. According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board, flood water entered 40 points of Zakiganj upazila till Wednesday evening. Also Read: Flood death toll climbs to 42: DGHS Around 60 per cent of Fenchuganj and Balaganj went under water. Road communication on Balaganj-Khichripur and Fenchuganj-Balaganj route remained suspended. The flood situation in Beani Bazar, Osmaninagar, Balaganj, and Gopalganj also worsened as new areas of the upazilas went under water as the water level in the River Kushiara kept rising. SM Shahidul Islam, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Sylhet, said water in the River Surma was flowing at 13.75 centimetres above the danger mark at Kanaighat point Wednesday evening.

Flooding has swamped 10 schools in Goalanda upazila making uncertain their reopening along with other educational institutions next week after over 17 months of Covid-induced closure. The authorities at these schools - nine primary and one secondary - are in a fix since the premises these schools are still under water, according to sources at Upazila Primary Education Office. Water has entered into even some classrooms. The authorities can’t decide on whether to ask the students to return to classrooms or wait until the flood water recedes. Good news is that floods have started easing in the area with water level in Padma River dropping. Read Fight the Flood: Safety measures to take before, during, after floods in Bangladesh According to the Goalanda Water Development Board, Padma River was flowing 62 centimetres above its danger level at Goalanda point even after it started receding. Masudur Rahman, Upazila Secondary Education Officer, said “The school ground of Daulatdia Akkass Ali High School went under water and if the flood situation improves we hope that we can take classes on September 12.” Primary Education Officer Mohammad Kabir Hossain, said “Nine school grounds are under water in the upazila while the classrooms of the schools were also inundated. The Padma river water started to recede for the past two days and we are hopeful about taking classes. But if the situation does not improve, it will be difficult to take classes.” Also read: School playground turns into waterbody The flood-hit schools are No 11 Chandkhan Para Government Primary School in Daulatdia, Char Daulatdia Government Primary School, Tenapocha Government Primary School, Betka Government Primary School, Bethuri Government Primary School, Ujanchar Majlishpur Government Primary School, Daulatdia Ghat Government Primary School and Shahjuddin Matubbar Para Government Primary School and a high school in the area. Education minister Dr Dipu Moni has already said that the country's educational institutions will be ready to host students by September 9, before finally reopening three days later -- bringing an end to what Unicef has called the world's second-longest schools closure due to Covid-19. “Ministry officials will complete field inspections within September 9 to observe whether the institutions are fully prepared to open their doors for students,” she said, after an inter-ministerial meeting at the cabinet division on September 5. Also read: More of a pond than a school playground The decision to reopen all the primary, secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions on September 12 was finalised at the meeting. Abu Syed Mandal, Upazila Project Implementation officer at Goalanda, said some 4,000 people have been marooned as flood situation in the upazila remained unchanged, causing immense sufferings to the people. The government has distributed 36 metric tonnes of rice among the flood-hit people in the upazila in two phases.  Read Faridpur flood: Over 2000ha cropland submerged for nearly four weeks

From June to September the rainy season usually extends its reign in riverine Bangladesh. Rivers and canals, houses, lands, and many other places go underwater during the rainy season. During the monsoon, the main rivers and tributaries of Bangladesh flow in relatively high-water levels due to the combined effect of melted Himalayan glaciers and rainwater, which eventually turns into floods. The northern part of Bangladesh is mostly gets affected by floods. Water flows beyond the danger level. As a result, the people of the flooded areas have to live miserable lives. What can we do to stay safe or at least reduce the loss due to floods? Let’s get to know about some essential flood-safety measures we can take before, during, after a flood in Bangladesh. Pre-flood safety measures Bangladesh has already made significant progress and capabilities in dealing with the flood situation. The country has shown this success, especially in flood management. But several crises are still there, where the authorities need to focus on. There are limitations in taking important initiatives, collective action, inefficiency in the proper and effective use of resources, taking up challenges in crisis, especially in the overall flood situation of the country, including backwardness. Currently, the flood situation and waterlogging problems are increasing day by day in the urban areas of Bangladesh too. READ: Flood in Kurigram getting worse Flood forecasting and early warning systems need to be made faster, more modern, and stronger. It should have the participation of important personalities of the local society. Moreover, we need to ensure greater involvement of the Bangladesh Water Development Board. It is important to involve various social organizations and local governments in flood and rainwater control in areas prone to floods and monsoon rains. We should also try to involve people from other areas and professions who are interested in working on risk management. In particular, additional alternative initiatives need to be taken to deal with the floods. It is important to provide priority to come forward to deal with floods on an emergency basis at different stages. Furthermore, plans must also be taken on an urgent basis. The implemented initiatives should be evaluated and updated at least once a year. Upon identifying the risk areas, we need to understand our ability in the risk areas. READ: Flood-affected people in Cox’s Bazar cry for food and drinking water Involving the NGOs in the relevant sectors in the formation of emergency funds is also necessary. At the same time, ensure their accountability in the work assigned by the government. On the other hand, the authorities need to make arrangements to save flood relief and rehabilitation equipment. This includes adequate storage, tin, sack, bamboo, wood, tent-making equipment, life jackets, water purifiers or other procedures, emergency medical supplies, liquid and dry food, drinking water, clothing, and temporary latrines. Ensuring a proper supply of essential items including drainage system, kerosene oil, hurricane, lamp, light, charge light, installation of tube wells, pipes, and transport, etc. The number of relief and rescue workers needs to be further increased. In particular, training sessions are needed to be organized for these flood relief workers to acquire practical skills in various areas including water control, evacuation of victims. READ: 1 lakh people stranded in Bagerhat as flooding worsens In addition, it is important to adopt state-of-the-art technology, concept, and practical-economic analysis and action plan for the overall flood response situation, including river management, river protection, flood control, and rehabilitation of the affected. Vita, tube well, the toilet should be raised as far as possible in advance. In this case, the level of the floodwater of the past should be kept in mind.