Southeastern Bangladesh is reeling from two days of heavy monsoon rain that has flooded towns, stalled transport, and triggered flash flood warnings. Feni recorded 440mm in 24 hours—the season’s highest—while other coastal areas were hit hard as well.
In Dhaka, even lighter rain—24mm until 6pm on Tuesday—was enough to flood streets and slow morning traffic. Commuters moved through puddles, some vehicles stalled mid-road, and muddy footpaths made walking difficult.
But the real crisis unfolded in Feni.
Flooding intensified by Tuesday evening, with major areas of the town underwater. Roads such as Shaheed Shahidullah Kaiser and Nazir Road were left completely cut off. Residents found themselves stranded since morning.
Several schools shut their doors. Others held exams anyway. Students arrived on rickshaws or walked through flooded streets, uniforms soaked.
“It’s like last year all over again,” wrote Mymuna Tania on Facebook, posting a video of submerged roads in Chanmia Munshi Bari. “Too much rain. May Allah stand by us.”
Electricity went out in parts of the municipality. Shops shut early. Local transport vanished from the streets.
Nearby in Fulgazi upazila, a dam along the Muhuri River gave way, damaging small businesses nearby. The Nilakshmi-Gabtala Road remained closed to traffic.
Md Abul Kashem, a sub-divisional engineer at the Water Development Board, said the Muhuri River hadn’t yet crossed the danger mark. But more rain upstream could change that.
“We’re staying alert,” he said. “Riverbank erosion is a real concern right now.”
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre expects the Muhuri to reach danger level within a day. Other rivers—Feni, Halda, Sangu, Matamuhuri—are also rising and may stay high until at least Wednesday.
In Patuakhali, 215.1mm of rain fell over 24 hours. Areas like Sabujbagh and Natun Bazar flooded quickly. Rural ponds and fish enclosures overflowed.
The sea near Kuakata turned rough. Waves lashed the coast.
Payra port raised Local Cautionary Signal No 3. Other ports—Barisal, Khulna, Chittagong, and Cox’s Bazar—were told to hoist Signal No 1. Fishermen were advised to remain in safe locations.
River ports across the region were warned of gusty winds reaching 40 to 60 km/h.
Looks like we’re stuck with this rain for a few more days. The official forecast is calling for more downpours pretty much everywhere, but it’ll be particularly heavy in Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, and Chittagong.
There are two things causing it: a weather system over West Bengal and strong monsoon winds are teaming up to dump a lot of rain. The sea will stay rough, too. And don’t expect it to clear up soon—a local weather official says this could last another two or three days.
As of now, the water keeps rising. The streets are still flooded. And for many residents, especially in Feni, the wait for relief feels uncomfortably familiar.
