Rainfall eases in Chattogram after a week, flood situation remains grim

Rainfall in Chattogram eased over the past 24 hours after a week of relentless downpours, but flooding continued to disrupt normal life across large parts of the region, with thousands of people still stranded.

According to the Patenga Meteorological Office, 21.3 millimetres of rain were recorded between 9:00am Friday (July 10) and 9:00am Saturday (July 11), a sharp decline from the heavy to extremely heavy rainfall recorded over the previous several days.

Despite the improvement, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the active monsoon is expected to keep weather conditions unstable, with light to moderate rain or thundershowers likely across most areas of Chattogram. Isolated places may still experience heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Assistant Meteorologist Suman Saha of the Patenga Meteorological Office said the active monsoon system would continue to trigger rainfall in the coming days, including heavy showers in some areas.

Since July 4, Chattogram has recorded 1,169 mm of rainfall, averaging nearly 167 mm per day, making it one of the wettest spells in recent years.

Although water levels have started to recede in some locations, flood conditions remain largely unchanged. Many low-lying areas are still submerged, while water levels have risen in parts of the district. Hundreds of thousands of people across Chattogram, Cox's Bazar and the three hill districts remain marooned.

According to the Chattogram Divisional Administration, 1,057 emergency shelters are currently operating across the disaster-hit region, providing refuge to more than 12,000 people.