DHAKA – Torrential flooding in Bangladesh has swept away homes and forced the closure of schools, displacing tens of thousands of residents, the Disaster and Relief Ministry reported on July 9. With a forecast predicting more heavy rain over the coming days, the situation is expected to deteriorate further.
Currently, around 40,000 people are seeking refuge in government shelters, and over 600 medical teams have been mobilized to treat those affected by the floods. Television footage depicts the devastation, showing submerged roads, broken bridges and dams, and villagers navigating through knee-deep waters. Farmers are seen desperately rescuing cattle from the rising floods.
“Bangladeshis are accustomed to flooding, but the rapid rise and high levels of water in low-lying areas have forced people to seek shelter on anything available, including rafts made of banana trees,” said Liakath Ali, head of the climate change program at development agency Brac.
While the local meteorological office has predicted more rain for the central and southern regions, the Brahmaputra River, which has swollen due to the deluge, is expected to recede in the coming days.
“Heavy rainfall in the upstream regions of India means the suffering is far from over. We have implemented measures to manage the situation,” stated Rezwanul Rahman, head of Bangladesh’s disaster management department.
The seasonal monsoon rains, which begin at the end of May, have led to widespread flooding in India and Bangladesh in recent years. In India’s Assam state, which lies to the north of Bangladesh, floodwaters have started to recede, bringing some relief to the approximately 48,000 people taking shelter in camps.
Over the last 24 hours, six people have died in Assam due to rain and flood-related incidents, raising the death toll in the state to 72 since May. More than two million people have been affected by the floods, with the Kaziranga National Park, home to the rare one-horned rhinoceros, also inundated.
A heavy downpour early on July 9 in the National Capital Region of Delhi and its suburbs disrupted traffic. Unusually heavy rain in New Delhi just over a week ago caused a roof collapse at the airport terminal. In Mumbai, heavy rain this week flooded roads and railway lines, disrupting flights and forcing the closure of schools.