Flood risk looms over country in July-August: FFWC

The country is likely to brace possible flooding in the Brahmaputra and Meghna river basins through July and August, as heavy upstream rainfall and monsoon conditions push water levels toward danger marks, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has warned.

The FFWC, under the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), said the country has entered its peak flood season, when intense rainfall across upstream catchments sharply raises river flows and threatens low-lying areas nationwide.

FFWC Executive Engineer Sardar Uday Raihan said forecasting technology can now predict flooding in inland river basins 10 to 15 days ahead, while coastal river forecasts remain limited to a three-day window.

He said low-lying areas along the Brahmaputra basin have already been inundated, though water levels are expected to stay stable over the next five to six days in the absence of significant upstream rainfall. The Meghna basin is also likely to remain steady during the same period for similar reasons.

The centre further warned that a low-pressure system may form over the Bay of Bengal later this month, raising the risk of flash floods in coastal lowlands.

According to the FFWC's latest flood outlook, issued Thursday, water levels in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system could reach warning levels between July 4 and 7 in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur and Bogura, increasing flood risk in surrounding low-lying areas.

Water levels in the Ganges-Padma system are projected to rise over the next five days but stay below danger level. The Surma and Kushiyara rivers in Sylhet and Sunamganj, meanwhile, may hit warning levels within 72 hours, raising the possibility of localized flooding.

River water is currently flowing at warning levels at five points: Dalia in Nilphamari, Tarapur in Lalmonirhat, Fenchuganj in Sylhet, Markuli in Sunamganj, and Kalmakanda in Netrokona.

Experts note that flood risk escalates sharply when the Brahmaputra and Meghna basins see simultaneous high flows — a pattern behind some of Bangladesh's worst floods, including those of 1988, 1998, 2004, 2022 and 2024.