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A flood is a body of water that covers land which is normally dry. Floods are common natural disasters that can affect millions of people around the world. They destroy houses and buildings, and carry soil away from valuable farming land. Floods can also contaminate drinking water and lead to diseases. Flooding has always been a part of human history. Many ancient civilizations developed along waterways and rivers because people needed water for their fields.

But it was the 1998 flooding of Bangladesh that was one of the most destructive flooding events in modern world history − about two-thirds of Bangladesh was covered by the waters of the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Meghna rivers. Natural physical causes of the flood include the fact that 42% of Bangladesh is a flood plain, with 60% of the total area only about one meter above sea level and 20% of the land area is made up of lakes and rivers. While a monsoon − the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia − is a natural part of the climate of Bangladesh, the flood of 1998 brought tropical storms with heavier than average rainfall and coastal flooding which, along with snowmelt from the Himalayas in late spring and summer, caused all three major rivers in Bangladesh to have their peak flow at the same time. Deforestation in Nepal and the Himalayas and dams built in India which increased sedimentation helped cause the flooding. The urbanization of the flood plain (particularly in Dhaka) and poorly maintained embankments that collapse in times of heavy floods contributed to the severity of the effects of the flooding. Global warming can also be credited for helping increase the water levels due to increased snowmelt, sea level and rainfall. Many of the causes of the 1998 flooding can be attributed to human impact on the environment. For example, the effects of aggridation (a combination of irrigation and cultivation) upstream of the Brahmaputra and Ganges have contributed towards the heightened flood risk. The sinking for wells in upstream areas to provide fresh drinking water has altered the level of the water table, sinking the land above by an estimated 25mm per year.

The floods covered Bangladesh in water for 50 days and the capital Dhaka was submerged under two meters of water. Thirty million people were made homeless and the death toll reached over a thousand. The flooding caused contamination of crops while animals and unclean water resulted in cholera and typhoid outbreaks. Few hospitals were functional because of damage from the flooding and those that were had too many patients, resulting in everyday injuries becoming fatal due to lack of treatment. Seven hundred thousand hectares of crops (which included mainly maize-rice and jute) were destroyed, with approximately two million tons of rice being wiped out. Four hundred factories were forced to close, and there was a 20% decrease in economic production. Communication within the country also became difficult. It is estimated that a total of $1 billion of damage was caused by the flooding. By contrast, the floods also deposited fertile soil and silt, which meant better growing conditions for crops the next season. This included the formation of several "chars" (small islands of fertile farm land formed from silt deposit.)

Immediately following the 1998 floods, a number of short-term relief measures were put in place to minimize loss of life. International aid programs provided food to Bangladeshis and the government of Bangladesh distributed free seed to farmers to reduce the impact of food shortages (the government also gave 350,000 tons of cereal to feed people). Volunteers and aid workers worked to repair flood damage. A number of measures were suggested to help prevent future flooding, such as dam construction upstream and major embankments around Dhaka. However, lack of money has meant that these suggestions have not been taken any further