Bangladesh floods maroon nearly three million people, kill two
Bangladesh is grappling with severe flooding caused by relentless monsoon rains, which have stranded nearly three million people and resulted in at least two fatalities, according to officials from the country’s disaster management ministry. The deluge has submerged vast areas, severely damaging homes and infrastructure.
Residents in affected areas have been seen evacuating via boats and other makeshift means as knee-deep water inundates their homes. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has issued warnings that water levels could continue to rise over the next 24 hours, raising concerns of further flooding and displacement.
Road connectivity in several regions has been cut off, isolating communities and complicating relief efforts. The hardest-hit districts include Feni, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Comilla, and Chittagong, where five major rivers are flowing above danger levels.
Mohammad Masum, a resident of Feni district, described the situation: “I haven’t seen so much water in the last 20 years. Everything in my house is wrecked because the water has risen to waist level.”
A 2015 World Bank Institute analysis estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh are at risk of annual river flooding. The exacerbation of such events is attributed to climate change.
In Dhaka, students staged protest rallies late on Wednesday, alleging that the floods were caused by the opening of dam sluice gates in neighboring India. India’s foreign ministry refuted these claims, stating that the heavy rains over the past few days in the catchment areas of the Gumti River, which flows through both countries, are the primary cause of the flooding.
In neighboring Tripura, India, landslides and floods triggered by persistent rain have resulted in 12 deaths. Suman Deb, an Indian disaster management official, confirmed ongoing rescue operations.
India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah announced that federal disaster management teams, along with boats and helicopters, have been deployed to Tripura to support state efforts. The Indian foreign ministry highlighted that the floods in shared rivers are a mutual issue requiring cooperative solutions.
