PRISMA-Guided Multimethod Evaluation of Flood Embankment Stability of Bangladesh

Flood embankments are an essential part of the flood protection system of Bangladesh; however, the combined effects of climate change, intricate hydrological dynamics, and geotechnical vulnerabilities are increasingly challenging their long-term stability. This study pioneers the first PRISMA-guided systematic review in this domain, synthesizing 69 articles from Scopus and Web of Science (1990–2025) to expose limitations in flood protection measures, climate impacts, and steps to make embankment stable in this country. The analysis of this study offers a thorough evaluation of embankment performance in three highly vulnerable flood prone areas along the Ganges–Padma and Brahmaputra–Jamuna River systems: Islampur of Jamalpur district, Dhunchi of Rajbari district, and Naria of Shariatpur district. Hydrological and erosion related data were collected from Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to evaluate the actual erosion status of those study locations. Integrating this information with in situ and laboratory based geotechnical parameters, this research uniquely couples hydrological and geotechnical analyses to assess the slope stability and seepage given surcharge loading, rapid drawdown, and fluctuating water levels. The findings showed significant variations in safety margins among site to site. Surcharge loads and slope stability were found to be inversely related across all sites, highlighting the dangers that vehicles and outside forces pose to embankment crests. Since low-permeability silts and clays retain excess pore water pressures, lowering effective stress and raising the risk of slope failure, rapid drawdown was found to be an especially serious hazard. The significance of hydrological–geotechnical interactions in embankment behavior was further supported by seepage analyses, which showed that changes in water levels significantly changed the pore pressure distributions and soil suction. The study concludes that internal erosion, seepage, and slope instability are just as serious threats to embankment serviceability and flood resilience as is overtopping. It is highly advised to implement engineered drainage layers, granular filters, geotextiles, and revetment systems, in addition to ongoing geotechnical monitoring for early distress warning to reduce these risks.