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Authorities in India and Bangladesh struggled Monday to deliver food and drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people evacuated from their homes during days of flooding that have submerged wide swaths of the countries.
The floods triggered by monsoons have also marooned millions and flooded millions of homes.
In Sylhet, in northeastern Bangladesh along the Surma River, villagers waded through streets flooded up to their knees. One man stood in the doorway of his flooded shop, where the top shelves were crammed with items in an effort to keep them above water. Local media said millions have been left without electricity.
Enamur Rahman, junior minister for disaster and relief, said up to 100,000 people have been evacuated in the worst-hit districts, including Sylhet. About four million are marooned, the United News of Bangladesh said.
2 policemen washed away
Flooding has also ravaged India’s northeastern Assam state, where two policemen involved in rescue operations were washed away by floodwaters on Sunday, state officials said. They said that about 200,000 people were taking shelter in 700 relief camps. Water in all major rivers in the state was above danger levels.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Monday his administration is using military helicopters to airlift food and fuel to badly affected parts of the state.
Assam has already been reeling from massive floods after torrential rains over the past few weeks caused the Brahmaputra River to break its banks, leaving millions of homes underwater and severing transport links.
WATCH | Parts of Asia swamped in massive floods:
Monsoon rains have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Bangladesh, India and China, where rains in the south are reported to be the heaviest in 60 years.
The Brahmaputra River flows from the mountains of Tibet through India and into Bangladesh, with a nearly 800-kilometre journey through Assam.
Major roads in affected regions of Bangladesh have been submerged, leaving people stranded. In a country with a history of climate change-induced disasters, many expressed frustration that authorities haven’t done more locally to address the problems.
“There isn’t much to say about the situation. You can see the water with your own eyes. The water level inside the room has dropped a bit. It used to be up to my waist,” said Muhit Ahmed, the owner of a grocery shop in Sylhet.
‘We are in a great disaster’
Bangladesh called in soldiers on Friday to help move people, but Ahmed said he hasn’t seen any yet.
“We are in a great disaster. Neither the Sylhet City Corporation nor anyone else came here to inquire about us,” he said. “I am trying to save my belongings as much as I can. We don’t have the ability to do any more now.”
The state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said Sunday that flooding in the northeastern districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet could worsen. It said the Teesta, a major river in northern Bangladesh, may rise above danger levels. The situation could also deteriorate in other northern districts, it said.
Officials said floodwaters have started receding in the northeast but are posing a threat to the central region, where water flows south to the Bay of Bengal.
Media reports said villagers in remote areas are struggling to obtain drinking water and food.
BRAC, a private non-profit group, opened a centre Monday to prepare food as part of plans to feed 5,000 families in one affected district, but the arrangements were inadequate, senior director Arinjoy Dhar said. In a video posted online, Dhar asked for help in providing food for flood-affected people.
Devastating floods every few years
Last month, a pre-monsoon flash flood triggered by water from India’s northeastern states hit Bangladesh’s northern and northeastern regions, destroying crops and damaging homes and roads.
Bangladesh is mostly flat and low-lying, so short-term floods during the monsoon season are common and are often beneficial to agriculture. But devastating floods hit the country every few years, damaging its infrastructure and economy. Almost 28 per cent of the nation’s 160 million people live in coastal regions, according to the World Bank.
One of the worst floods took place in 1988, when much of the country was under water. In 1998, another devastating flood inundated almost 75 per cent of the country. In 2004, more prolonged flooding occurred.
Scientists say flooding in Bangladesh has been worsened by climate change. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about 17 per cent of the population will need to be relocated over the next decade or so if global warming persists at the present rate.
