State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad announced that the government has intensified measures to repair embankments, protect riverbanks, and address waterlogging across the country. "The government is focusing not only on emergency disaster response but also on long-term sustainable solutions. Measures are being implemented to reduce future flood damage through improved river management, embankment strengthening, modernisation of sluice gates, waterlogging mitigation, and flood control infrastructure," he said.
Emergency Measures
Azad revealed that more than 700,000 geo-bags have already been supplied to vulnerable areas for emergency riverbank protection and embankment preservation. He expressed hope that the overall flood situation would continue to improve if favorable weather conditions persist, adding that the ministry will maintain constant monitoring of all vulnerable areas and remain prepared to respond to any emergency.
The Ministry of Water Resources has another 600,000 geo-bags in reserve, and a substantial stock of plastic synthetic geo-bags has been stored for immediate deployment if required.
Ongoing Projects and Future Plans
Azad said the government has undertaken more than 1,500 emergency work packages in flood-prone and vulnerable areas across the country. These projects are being implemented through local Members of Parliament, district administrations, and officials of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). Of these, nearly 500 work packages have already been completed, while work on around 1,000 others is currently underway.
The Army-supervised waterlogging mitigation project in Chattogram is about 95% complete and is expected to be handed over to the Chattogram City Corporation by the end of this year. Once completed, the project is expected to provide a long-term solution to the city's chronic waterlogging problem and significantly reduce similar incidents in the future.
Flood Situation and River Levels
Azad noted that as of 6:00am on July 14, water levels in several rivers remained above danger levels. However, he expressed optimism that river levels are gradually receding as rainfall has decreased, and said rivers currently flowing above danger levels are expected to return to normal within the next one to two days.
All officials and employees of the Ministry of Water Resources have been instructed to remain on round-the-clock duty in affected areas. Rapid repairs and emergency protection measures are being carried out wherever embankments have been damaged.
