Floods Put More Than 4 Million People at Risk in Bangladesh

Heavy rains and thunderstorms in the southeastern and northern parts of Bangladesh have put more than 4 million people at risk of disease and food scarcity, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Rain laden rivers in Bangladesh have broken through several embankments entering habitats and submerging numbers of villages, destroying tens of thousands of homes and displacing nearly 200,000 people. Thousands of people are stranded without power and electricity for the last few weeks, as floods and landslides have destroyed roads and important infrastructure, according to the report of the IFRC.

In various parts of the country, there is a shortage of food and clean water. Also, there is a rise in waterborne diseases in the country. Tangail district, which is 97km away from the capital Dhaka, is one of the worst affected parts of Bangladesh. In the districts, people are suffering because of the erosion of the Jamuna River, which is one of the three mighty rivers in Bangladesh.

According to Abu Bakar, an official associated with the Department of Disaster Management, Government of Bangladesh, since earlier this week flooding in almost one-third of Bangladesh districts, including Tangail have left at least 20 people dead and displaced thousands of families to safer places. The total death toll rose to 30 in Bangladesh, according to official figures on Thursday.

Azmat Ulla, Head of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Bangladesh said, “Bangladeshis are reeling under the full force of the monsoon rains and the ensuing floods and landslides. Even if the rains recede, overflowing rivers upstream will worsen the flooding in the coming days”.

The flood also brings with it the fear of destruction of crops, which would lead to a food shortage for everyone. Children, the elderly, breastfeeding mothers, and pregnant women are being identified as most vulnerable.

The developmental organisation like Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has so far mobilised 675 volunteers to support the people and communities in the flood-affected districts of Bangladesh. Along with this, they are also carrying out rapid assessments and evaluation. The teams of volunteers are distributing food, clean water, tarpaulins and hygiene kits to the families who lost their homes either destroyed or damaged by the landslides.

Feroz Salah Uddin, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society says, “Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed which puts people further in the direct path of dangerous floods. We are seriously concerned about access to the affected populations”.

The low-lying country is worse affected by the annual monsoon rains, which have wreaked havoc across South Asia from Nepal in the Himalayas to Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.

In India, the flood has shown its might mainly in two states namely Assam and Bihar. In Assam, floods on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries since last week have badly affected near about five million people. At least nine people were killed and more than 225,000 people took shelter in relief camps, according to the latest government figures. 

Assam Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta said, “While some people have started going back to their homes, about 70 percent continue to remain in makeshift relief camps”.

In the northern Indian state of Bihar, now the water levels are said to be coming down, where floods have so far killed 78 people.

In Nepal, the death toll due to flood has increased to 78, while 46 people were killed in Pakistan because of the flood. Two people died and five missing in Sri Lanka as heavy rain has forced hundreds to flee their homes across the island nation.