2 die as floods swamp Bangladesh, heavy shower forecasted
Floods triggered by torrential rains have swamped a swath of low-lying Bangladesh, disaster officials said Thursday, adding to the new government's challenges after weeks of political turmoil.
At least two people have died and hundreds of thousands are stranded in the floods in at least eight districts in southern and eastern areas.
"Around 2.9 million people have been affected and more than 70,000 people have been taken to shelters," Mohammad Nazmul Abedin, senior official in the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told AFP.
Long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina quit as prime minister this month and fled to India after weeks of deadly student-led protests, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.
The South Asian nation of 170 million people, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, has seen frequent floods in recent decades.
It is among the countries most vulnerable to disasters and climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.
The annual monsoon rains cause widespread destruction every year, but climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events.
The army and the navy have been deployed, with speedboats and helicopters rescuing those stranded by the swollen rivers.
Much of the country is made up of deltas where the Himalayan rivers the Ganges and the Brahmaputra wind towards the sea after coursing through India.
43 upazilas in six districts marooned
Flooding caused by upstream water and relentless rain over the past few days has marooned 1,90,000 families across six districts, leaving one person dead in Fulgazi upazila of Feni district, according to a statement from the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry released at 10:00 Thursday.
A total of 43 upazilas in Cumilla, Feni, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, and Moulvibazar are currently experiencing flooding. Approximately 17,882 people have taken refuge in 1,359 shelters out of the 3,486 available. To provide medical assistance, 309 medical teams have been deployed.
The government has allocated Tk 1.42 crore in cash, 8,550 metric tonnes of rice, and 8,000 packets of dry food for the flood-affected districts. A control room has been established by the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry to offer information and support, reachable at 0255101115.
Deputy Commissioners in the flood-affected areas have been instructed to coordinate efforts with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the Army, medical teams, and other volunteers. In Feni, 160 army personnel and 40 rescue vessels have been deployed, with additional vessels and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members also brought in for assistance.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has issued an emergency warning for heavy rainfall due to an active monsoon, particularly affecting southern regions of the country, including the capital Dhaka and Mymensingh district.
"Due to active monsoon, heavy (44-88 mm per 24 hours) to very heavy (>89 mm per 24 hours) rainfall is likely to occur in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barisal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions over the next 48 hours starting from 10:00am today," the warning stated.
