Posted on July 14, 2025
Flooding has become an unfortunate monsoon ritual in Bangladesh. Each year, with the onset of the monsoon, heavy downpours and flash floods ravage the country, plunging lives and livelihoods in flood-prone areas into a profound crisis. After last year’s devastating deluge, which inundated vast swathes of the country, policymakers spoke at length about enhancing flood preparedness through timely river dredging and the repair of embankments. But one year on, despite the government’s claim of better preparedness, the reality on the ground tells a different story. The monsoon, once again, has exposed how terribly unprepared the country is in tackling floods. According to a report by The Financial Express, nearly 100,000 hectares of farmlands have been submerged due to onrushing waters, affecting low-lying areas in 21 districts as of Friday. Another report informs that the district of Feni, one of the worst-hit areas during last year’s floods, is once again facing severe devastation. This year, more than a hundred villages in the district have gone under water after embankments on three major rivers in Feni broke at 20 different points as of Saturday.
So, the question is, why are the authorities still caught off guard, even after experiencing recurring floods year after year? While the wrath of Nature can indeed be unpredictable, much of the destruction could have been avoided through timely, sustainable embankment repairs, proper dredging of rivers and effective early warning systems for timely evacuation. Since three major rivers – the Padma, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna – flow into the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh, the country is geographically situated in a highly flood-prone region. This makes it all the more important for the country to develop a comprehensive master plan in line with the science of river management aimed at protecting the riverbanks from erosion and mitigating the risk of flooding. Unfortunately, the state of embankment maintenance has been a cycle of short-term fixes and repeated breaches. Take the case of embankments in Feni district, where approximately 122 kilometers of earthen dams were constructed along three major rivers nearly 50 years ago. Sections of these embankments are patched up almost every year and naturally they continue to collapse due to their fragile and unsustainable repair. Reportedly, during the catastrophic floods of August last year, breaches occurred at 99 points. The authorities later spent Tk 190 million on repairs. Still, this year, the embankments have already broken in 20 areas. To make matters worse, rivers across the country are increasingly getting silted up, and there is little sign of an effective, sustainable dredging strategy. Though billions of taka are allocated each year for river dredging, these sporadic efforts yield no lasting solution.
Experts have long emphasised that sustainable embankments must be constructed with durable, weather-resistant materials to withstand erosion and damage. The dams should also be environmentally friendly and easy to maintain. Countries like the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States have successfully implemented these long-term, resilient dams. Bangladesh, however, continues to rely on short-term repairs that fail to prevent recurring flood damage. During the Chief Adviser’s recent visit to China, he sought Chinese assistance in river management. Yet, so far, no tangible progress has been made in this regard. As the frequency and intensity of floods are increasing and are likely to be exacerbated by climate change, proactive measures, rather than reactive responses, can better safeguard lives and property.
