At least 20 people have been killed and more than 5.2 million affected by floods in Bangladesh caused by incessant monsoon rains and overflowing rivers. This was reported by officials on Sunday, Reuters writes, UNN reports.
Details
The floods have left many people in remote areas cut off from the outside world, leaving them in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine and dry clothing. Blocked roads have hampered rescue and relief efforts.
Mohammad Yunus, the government's chief adviser, said in a televised address that the administration had taken all necessary measures to ensure a quick return to normalcy for flood victims. Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, heads an interim government that was sworn in after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country following a student uprising this month.
Abdul Halim, a 65-year-old farmer from a village in Comilla district, said his mud hut was washed away by a 10-foot-high torrent of water in the middle of the night. “There is no food or water here. Almost no one has brought aid deep into the villages. We have to go to the main road to get it,” he told Reuters.
Some Bangladeshis claimed that the floods could have been caused by the opening of floodgates on dams in neighboring India, but this version was rejected by the authorities in New Delhi.
“We have started negotiations with neighboring countries to prevent similar situations in the future,” Yunus said.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has warned that flooding could continue if monsoon rains continue, as water levels are falling very slowly.
More than 400,000 people have taken refuge in some 3,500 shelters in 11 flood-affected districts. Nearly 750 medical teams are on the ground, and Bangladesh's army, air force, navy and border guard are assisting in rescue operations.
According to a 2015 World Bank analysis, 3.5 million people in Bangladesh, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, are at risk of annual river flooding. Scientists say climate change is exacerbating such catastrophic events.
“The impact of this year's monsoon rains has been widespread and devastating,” said Kabita Bose, Director of Plan International Bangladesh. “Entire communities have been completely submerged and millions of people, including children, are now in need of safe shelter and life-saving humanitarian assistance,” she added.